Fate Legacies
by Tyonis
Summary: Rin's magical experiment goes awry and drags her into the unknown. Shirou chases after her but finds himself in a brand new world with no recollection of why he even made the jump in the first place. Meanwhile, a dangerous mystery is starting to consume Mystic Falls and it's up to Hope Mikaelson and the students of Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted to solve it.
1. Chapter 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

"Now, now, there's no need for this level of hostility," Zelretch began as Shirou Emiya all but stomped into the room. The Faker's brow twitched at the vampire's cavalier attitude. Shirou knew a missing apprentice was a relatively common occurrence with Zelretch's track record, but it still annoyed him that one of his best friends had vanished without a trace after one of her projects had gone horribly wrong.

"Where is Tohsaka?" Shirou demanded, arms folded as he glared at the Wizard Marshal.

"Too vague!" Zelretch immediately replied, his lips curled into a smile that didn't quite reach his ears. Shirou clenched his jaw. Riddles were Rin's forte, not his. After a few moments of fruitless staring and copious amounts of killing intent radiation, Shirou finally managed to come up with a better question.

"Okay then, what are the spatial and temporal coordinates that will _LEAD_ me to Tohsaka?"

"That's MUCH better! I knew you were Tohsaka's apprentice for a reason!" Zelretch wore a saccharine smile so sweet Shirou could feel his own teeth rotting where he stood. With a simple flick of his wrist, a scroll made of human skin flew from his desk and into Shirou's waiting hand. He had to suppress a shudder at the sensation. "Relax. I fashioned it from someone who didn't deserve to live." The Wizard Marshal explained with a nonchalant shrug.

"You don't get to decide who deserves to live or die. Much less whom you skin into a piece of rolled paper!" Shirou growled, his voice barely neutral.

"I don't want to hear that from you, Mr. _'Hero of Justice,'_" Zelretch chuckled. "After all, justice can be oh-so-very cruel. Regardless, what do you plan on doing with those coordinates? In all my travels, no version of you was ever able to use the Second Magic." He reminded, honestly curious.

"Luvia. I'll ask her."

"Not me? I hate to brag, but I'm the better Magician."

"No, definitely not you," Shirou immediately answered with a meditative sigh. He needed to rein in his raging emotions. Zelretch may appear kind and selfless at times, but he was still a Dead Apostle. His humanity had its obvious limitations. Getting killed in one of Zelretch's insane pranks wouldn't help him with his search for Tohsaka. With his mind clearer, his attitude and poise became much sharper. Like a sword held steady.

"Good instincts, boy. You shouldn't trust me. Respect and even fear me, but never place your trust in someone as fickle as I. In the end, I am a Dead Apostle - and I affirm my existence by finding amusement throughout the multiverse. A creature like me can never be truly depended upon." Zelretch praised and leaned forward, fingers steepled over his desk, his eyes dark and inhuman. "That honed focus makes you much stronger and improves your judgment. You'll need that strength if you wish to travel as far as those coordinates go. I'll warn you now, the world Rin is in is much further than most. The laws of our world will not apply there. Magecraft may be entirely dysfunctional."

Shirou waited a few more seconds for anything else he'd say, but Zelretch merely stared at him with gleaming eyes, laced with expectation. Shirou turned on his heel and with a simple goodbye, he made his way back to his workshop to prepare for a dangerous journey.

He packed light - mostly contained a few meal-ready-to-eats and a handgun with three magazines. Although he was a living, breathing armory, Shirou understood the pragmatism of carrying a conventional weapon. Stories of his father's reign of terror was a testament to how effective they could be against mages. It was even more important if his magecraft were to be compromised as badly as Zelretch implied. He then showered, as if doing so would wash away any distracting thoughts. He went through a normal, morning routine but paused at the sight of two toothbrushes set on the bathroom sink. Shirou shook his head and stared at the mirror. Steel eyes, unnaturally grey hair and dark brown skin greeted him. He looked so much like Archer, now. But perhaps that was just an inevitability. How he looked wouldn't phase Shirou Emiya. What mattered was how his ideals had changed ever since the Grail War.

Rin tried to make to love himself more and over the course of the last few years, he grew to do exactly that. He began to cherish his life and the people in it. He no longer viewed lives on a scale to be measured like his father and future self did. He no longer derived pleasure solely from the act of salvation. Sure, a certain part of him would never change, but it no longer dominated his whole life's outlook and outcome.

"Archer, no matter what, I won't become you. I won't sell my life and my soul for the sake of my ideal. If I die in this, it was because I wanted to save Rin out of love, not some twisted form of self-gratification." Shirou wasn't sure if Archer could hear it, but the determined smile he saw in the mirror told him all he needed to know.

It was time to go save Rin.

* * *

"Shero… These coordinates are..." Luvia trailed off, her eyes glued to the parchment and the information within. She shook her head lightly, her curly hair elegantly following the motion. She would never admit to weakness; her pride wouldn't allow it. No Magus worth her salt would ever do so. But she shot him a pleading look all the same.

"I know. Zelretch warned me they'd be far. And that it'd be extremely dangerous. I want you to do it anyway." Shirou said, his voice resolute as he stepped into the center of the magical array. Luvia bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes in resignation. She wanted to tell him not to go - to consult Zelretch or at least ask for his assistance, but Shirou's bravery, determination, and stubborn attitude were some of the traits that endeared him to her in the first place. She wouldn't stomp on his pride, no matter how little he had.

Luvia stepped over to a surprisingly large treasure chest filled with a myriad of high-quality gems. Shirou's entire life savings were contained within. From a financial standpoint, he'd bet everything on a single spell that she had no real confidence in succeeding with. One gem, in particular, stood out among the others: the Tohsaka family jewel. The very same one Rin used to save his life during the Grail War. Luvia hypothesized it would help 'lock on' to her coordinates. At this point, Shirou would take any reassurance. He treasured the jewel in more ways than one, but Rin's life was far more important.

Luvia took the gem in her right hand and placed her left hand over the chest. She began chanting and Shirou sat, cross-legged on the ground, entering into a state of deep meditation. There was nothing he could do now but trust Luvia.

The gems slowly melted into a glowing, neon-like liquid that spread out to fill the array carved into the stone floor, walls, and even the ceiling. It was a complex design; the most difficult one Luvia ever constructed. When the Tohsaka family jewel finally melted into the spellcraft, a black vortex the size of a raindrop spawned beneath Shirou and immediately sucked him in. The aftermath of the black hole ruined Luvia's spare workshop and the spatial and temporal fissures would take decades to repair. She'd have to abandon the location for now. The blonde spared a glance at the spot where Shirou vanished and then walked out after recomposing her noble bearing.

"Lady Edelfelt," August, one of the Edelfelt's most trusted butlers, greeted with a deep bow. "Were you successful?" He asked, displaying some measure of rare concern for someone outside of the Edelfelt lineage. He knew how much Luvia cared for the boy, woe she was to fully admit it.

"Partially," Luvia shook her head, her voice detached and analytical. Her emotions were now tempered. Her responses were measured and dignified. In her current state, Luviagelita Edelfelt would continue down the path of a Magus even if the world were to end around her.

"The world was correct, but I still could not lock onto Tohsaka's exact location or even her time period. That world has auxiliary dimensions and possesses other temporal interferences I could not account for. Nor was the spell powerful enough to ensure a smooth and quick transition. In layman's terms, I 'flung' him as far as I could in the right direction. It's up to Shero, now." Luvia sighed and motioned for her butler to fall in line.

"Now that he's gone and my second workshop is unusable, I suppose I'll have to open up my schedule for more hunts. August, prepare my Mystic Codes and find some suitable prey."

"As you wish, Lady Edelfelt." August primly answered.

* * *

Shirou was no master of interdimensional travel, but even he could tell something went wrong. He'd been drifting in this sea of nothingness for what felt like an eternity. His rations, which were supposed to last three weeks, had long since run out. He hadn't had a sip of water for even longer. By all accounts, he should have died by now. The fact he hadn't meant he was trapped in this black limbo for what may be an eternity. It would take a miracle for him to reach his destination.

But Shirou Emiya was no stranger to chasing impossibilities.

So he waited and rather than stare pointlessly at infinite darkness, he closed his mind off into his Reality Marble. When he wasn't off cleaning after humanity's messes, Archer spent a majority of his wretched, unending existence staring aimlessly into his own soul. Shirou could do likewise. At least his Reality Marble had grass, decent weather, and a better view.

Shirou wasn't sure how much time had passed since he last felt a physical stimulus, but the sudden spark of immense pain jarred him out of his Reality Marble. He blinked, opening his eyes. What greeted him was a pair of light blue eyes. The sun lens flared him into blindness. He tried to speak but his words came out in a dried croak. He sounded like a dehydrated frog and felt even worse.

"Hope! What was that?! Who is that?!" Called out a voice a distinctly aged and masculine voice.

The woman looking down at him turned in the speaker's direction and answered: "I'm not sure, Dr. Saltzman! He just fell out of the sky! He's still breathing! He's alive! Barely!" The woman knelt down to put an ear next to his mouth when she saw his lips moving again. Shirou called for water, but his voice was still barely audible. Somehow, the brunette managed to understand him and drew out a water bottle and slowly poured it down his throat.

"Hold on, I'll come out with a stretcher. Lizzie, Josie, call Emma into the infirmary!"

After a few more gulps of life-giving water, Shirou promptly passed out.

* * *

Morning drills with Dr. Alaric Saltzman were Hope Mikaelson's favorite part of her daily routine. The sparring kept her darker tendencies at bay and the exercise helped cool her blood from boiling. Calling it stress relief was the understatement of a century. Today, they were using two bamboo sticks, training in Escrima or Philipino stick fighting for the uneducated and the generally lame. As usual, Dr. Saltzman dictated the pace of their matches until he was finally worn down by Hope's superior strength, speed, and stamina. Every day, she found it praiseworthy that the man could keep up with her with pure skill and experience. It was as if he could predict her moves before she even made them. If they were to really fight to the death, and he had been fully charged from the start, she still wasn't sure if she'd come out on top.

Ugh, there it was again: the subtle urge to kill and dominate the nearest human she could find. Being a Tribrid was not the miraculous existence most thought it to be. Three times the power meant three times the problems.

The sunless morning gave way to dawn when she finally knocked Dr. Saltzman off his feet and onto his back. She placed a foot on his chest and pointed a stick at his throat for emphasis.

"I give! I give!" He panted with an exhausted smile. Hope grinned back, glowing with victorious satisfaction then helped him stand. "Have you been keeping up with your studies as much as your training?" Dr. Saltzman asked as he wiped off a layer of sweat with a towel and drained his protein shake and water bottles.

"Yes," she drawled sighing. "I'm crushing it - all of it. Like I crushed you." She chided in a relaxed but chipper tone while sipping lightly on her own water bottle. She wasn't nearly as dogged as he was. Even the pain from any blows he managed to land was already starting to disappear.

"Well all right then. Wash up and get ready to move out after breakfast. We have a lead on transitioning werewolf nearby. I'm going first. And I'm quizzing you the entire way!" Hope replied with a deadman's glare. Dr. Saltzman simply smirked and placed a hand on her shoulder then stepped past her and toward the boarding school.

Hope watched him go then went for a few laps through the woods. As fun as sparring with Dr. Saltzman was, she still needed much more to get a real sweat out of her workouts. The old man simply couldn't keep up with her and his age was showing more and more. Hopefully, this new werewolf could throw a punch or two - she needed more sparring partners. None of the other students ever wanted to fight her anymore. An instinctual part of her brimmed with pride at being the undisputed top-dog, but her joy was reflected with an equal amount of painful loneliness.

_**BOOM!**_

Just as she was circling back to head into the school, the air two stories above her collapsed in on itself then exploded outward with enough force to blow her off her feet and into a tree. She slid down the trunk, her vision milky and filled with stars. But she was only dazed for a few moments before she pulled herself into a readied stance, her senses expanded out in preparation for combat. Her eyes were drawn to a small black bead that hung in the air. Her eyes widened in surprise when a corpse flew out of it and fell to the ground.

With great caution, she stepped toward it, reaching for a branch to stake it in case it revived. In her world, nothing stayed dead. In fact, it was notoriously hard for her to truly kill anything. Her eyes narrowed at the impression of a handgun holstered discreetly under the corpse's coat.

"Hey!" She called out then prodded the body's emaciated arm with her stick. "HEY!" She tried again, this time poking at the corpse's skull. "Are you…?" She finally made her way to get a better look at the face, only to see the lips moving ever-so-slightly and even the corpse's chest rise weakly up and down.

"Whoa!" You're human?! _AND ALIVE?!_"

"Hope! What was that?! Who is that?!"

Hope turned toward Dr. Saltzman's voice with her keen hearing. "I'm not sure, Dr. Saltzman! He just fell out of the sky! He's still breathing! He's alive! Barely!" She knelt down and placed an ear near his lips to try and better understand what he was saying.

"...Water… water… water…"

She immediately reached for her water bottle, suddenly grateful she wasn't all that thirsty earlier and began to gently pour it into the man's mouth. From her standpoint, he looked very old, just judging from his full head of grey hair. What happened? Where did he come from? And why did he look like an Egyptian mummy straight out of a bad horror movie? Did one of the students from the vampire faction drain him dry?

"Hold on, I'll come out with a stretcher. Lizzie, Josie, call Emma into the infirmary!" Dr. Saltzman yelled then ran back into the school. Hope drew back her bottle when she noticed the man's eyes closed. She was afraid he really did die, but the subtle rise and fall of his diaphragm told her otherwise. And, despite his ghastly appearance, she could hear his heart was still beating strong.

It didn't take long for Dr. Saltzman and another student to arrive with a stretcher. Between the three of them, they easily brought the stranger into the infirmary where Emma Tig was standing by with a few simple herbal remedies already waiting on the counter.

"Easy now, get him on the bed!" She immediately looked for any bite marks but didn't find any trace of vampiric attack. "He's extremely dehydrated," Emma informed, inserting an IV line and beginning saline therapy. "What happened? Where did he come from?"

"Dunno," Hope answered with a helpless shrug. "There was a massive blast of…magic, I think? Then this old man just appeared out of a hole in the sky."

"I'll round up the vampires and see which one-" Dorian called out from the doorway.

"No, he wasn't fed on. There aren't any bite marks," Emma interrupted. "His body is amazingly resilient. I have no idea how he's managed to survive in this state. Is he human?"

"As far as I can tell," Hope confirmed.

"At least that makes treatment a bit easier. You all try to figure out what happened. I'll do my best from here. Worse comes to worst, we'll send him to the hospital."

"Sure. But if he's not about to die, this will have to wait until after we recruit a transitioning werewolf," Dr. Saltzman reminded.

"I'll start the investigation on my end, then," Dorian said. "Hope, can you take me to where you found him?"

"Sure. Uh, wait. Can I stop by the cafeteria and grab some breakfast-to-go first? I won't get a chance before we leave otherwise and I really don't feel like eating fast food today."

"Yeah, all right, meet me at the porch in five," Dorian instructed.

"Gotcha!" Hope made herself scarce, her stomach growling angrily the entire way.

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis here with my first ever F/SN and Vampire Diaries fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed the read. If you did or even if you did not, please leave a review. I have thick skin, so don't be afraid to light me on fire. As most F/SN fans can tell, this story occurs a few years after the F/UBW Epilogue episode. And as most Vampire Diaries fans can tell, this story takes place a few hours before Legacies S1E1.

I won't commit to a solid output schedule since creative writing is just a hobby for me, but you can reasonably expect a chapter once every two months or so. Regardless, there will be a massive slowdown as I wait for more Legacies episodes to be released.

I could also use a beta with exceptional knowledge on the Vampire Diaries, as I am already quite confident with the Nasuverse.

At the end of every chapter, I will provide a list of key terms to help introduce fans of the Nasuverse and the Vampire Diaries to their corresponding worlds. Note that these are just the bare basics of each term or person. You'll have to do your own research if you want to know more. Luckily, both series have dedicated wiki pages if fans from one become interested in the other.

**Key Terms:**

_Shirou Emiya:_ A man of Japanese descent who primarily works as a Freelancer, a contract killer for the supernatural. He takes jobs based on his moral compass and not on how much money he is paid. His Origin and Element are "Sword" which enables him to perform a unique type of magecraft. He is the story's protagonist.

_Rin Tohsaka:_ The woman who taught the meaning of 'love' to Shirou and drew him away from his dark and self-destructive future. During an experiment to test the limitations of her mastery over the Second Magic, she was sucked into her own spell and went missing.

_Archer:_ Shirou's cynical future self. He sold his life and afterlife away to act as an immortal hero to save humanity time and again. Unfortunately, that meant killing people for all eternity. The boy who just wanted to help as many people as he was condemned to watch them die at his hands for the "greater good." After a confrontation with his future self, Shirou learned that he needed to start to cherish his own life or he'd turn into a self-loathing, self-destructive, self-sacrificing machine. Archer vanished afterward, satisfied that he'd saved his younger self from his horrific destiny.

_Zelretch_: A powerful vampire and 'Magician of the Second Magic.' He is capable of traveling through parallel worlds and alternate realities at a whim. He has two apprentices as of this timeline, Luvia Edelfelt and Rin Tohsaka. He often ruins entire worlds and universes for his own amusement.

_Dead Apostle:_ The Nasuverse's version of vampires. Comparatively speaking, they are much crueler and far more powerful than the vampires found in The Vampire Diaries.

_Reality Marble:_ A powerful spell that allows one's unique inner world to be physically manifested into reality. Shirou's inner world is an endless plain of infinite swords and is called Unlimited Blade Works. Even when it is inactive, Unlimited Blade Works allows Shirou to recreate and use weapons of almost any type or level, with the exception of certain divine weapons or weapons beyond human comprehension. Unfortunately, his Origin and Element prevent him from being able to cast even the most basics of spells that are unrelated to "swords."

_Alaric Saltzman:_ Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted's infamous headmaster. He was once a vampire hunter, among many other things. He also serves as Hope's father figure and mentor.

_Hope Mikaelson:_ A Tribrid and the story's deuteragonist. She is the only known combination of Witch, Vampire, and Werewolf to ever exist in her world. Thus, her powers and potential are so immense that they are yet to be fully quantified.

_Emma Tig: _A Witch who serves as the school's guidance counselor.

_Dorian Williams:_ A human who works as the school librarian and one of the substitute teachers. His entire family was slain by vampires.

PS: For any Vampire Diaries fans interested, the TV watching order for the Fate Franchise is:

Fate/Zero (TV), Fate/Stay Night, Fate/Unlimited Blade Works (TV), then Fate/Heaven's Feel (Movie Trilogy).

#micdropped #Luviaisbestgirl #imsry #Zelretchmademedothis #plzdontkillme

PSS: For any F/SN fans interested, the TV watching order for the Vampire Diaries franchise is pretty self-explanatory.


	2. Chapter 2: Shakespeare

Once more, Shirou blinked away the haze that filled his vision. Over the course of the last few hours, he drifted in and out of consciousness. Every time he reawoke, he'd look, analyze, and plan. It was clear his body was severely weak - weaker than he ever remembered. He tried moving his fingers and toes and although it took colossal effort, his extremities did respond.

_'Good enough,'_ he thought.

"That's the fifth bag of saline. Hand me that syringe and another bag, please," Emma Tig spoke. "Oh, he's awake again. That's a good sign. Can you hear me?"

Shirou wheezed an intelligible reply. Emma sighed and shook her head. "Nevermind, just take it easy." She went to renew his IV therapy. The Faker knew he was being treated with saline and some kind of potion that was injected straight into his veins through the IV line. But his Magic Circuits were slow to respond as if they had been frozen solid for an indeterminate amount of time, so he couldn't Structurally Grasp what they were injecting him with.

All Shirou could really tell was that Emma and her assistant, Dorian, were earnestly trying to help him. It was why he was so passive about escaping and recovering. Just from the overheard and piecemeal conversations, Shirou deduced he was being held in a school of some kind, although he wasn't entirely sure if Holloween was in full swing because the pair threw around some disturbingly occult terminology. But Shirou didn't trust his ears all that much right now, as dulled as his senses were.

Exhaustion was starting to set in again. Slowly, his eyes slid closed while Emma finished setting up a new saline bag and his latest injection. His last lingering thought continued to haunt him even in his stupor:

_'Why am I here?'_

* * *

"He's recovering remarkably quickly, even without the potion. I cast a spell to see if he had any magical energy and to my surprise, he has a decent amount… but there is some kind anomaly within his body the spell detected. I'm not sure how to describe it. I'll need to run more tests, but he's 100% human. Which doesn't really make sense, because, for all intents and purposes, he should be a Witch," Emma reported, as she set down her clipboard and stretched.

"You need to take a break," Dorian said and set a dinner tray on her lap. "Yeah. I know you forgot to eat." He smiled and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "You've been at this since morning."

Emma looked out the window to see the sun quickly setting over the forest that surrounded the school. "Did Ric or Hope call in yet?"

"Yeah. They just arrived in Atlanta. They should be back in the morning. Relax. We need to go and prep for the full moon." Dorian pulled up a seat next to her and wrapped one arm around Emma as she nibbled on her food. They spent the next few hours watching over Shirou before they finally left the room to assist the werewolves. Emma continued to off-handedly comment on how quickly the young man was healing. His emaciated flesh was restoring itself at a visible rate - it was to the point that Emma could see he was not nearly as old as Hope initially thought. At most, he was in his late twenties. With luck, he'd be fully recovered in two days or so.

* * *

Two days later...

"Landon stole the knife, Hope. It's the truth," Alaric repeated.

Hope shook her head in denial, unwilling to accept the truth as Dr. Saltzman told it. This just wasn't possible. A lifetime of pushing people away and the one time she let someone in, she's betrayed? What kind of terrible Shakespearean drama had her life turned into?

"Ancient artifact goes missing along with too-good-to-be-true hapless human? You do the math, Hope." Dr. Saltzman said, exasperated with her cavalier attitude.

"That would make him a liar, okay? I've known my fair share of those and there was nothing about him that-"

"Hope.."

"No, Ric! You don't understand!" She all but screeched. "There's no way that the _one time_ I choose to get close to someone they turn out to be a liar! It's not possible, okay? _I'm not that stupid!_" She blinked back a wave of tears and emotions, biting her bottom lip and trying to burn out the memory of kissing Landon Kirby from her mind. "What about that old man in the infirmary? He could have taken it!"

"I checked already. No one's been in or out of that room aside from Emma and Dorian. The guy is _STILL_ bedridden and unlike Landon, he's _ACTUALLY_ human! We compelled Landon to go home, but he never did. And if he didn't go home, it means he wasn't compelled. If his mind can't be controlled by a supernatural being that only means one thing: he is a supernatural being. He's our primary suspect, Hope. We need to go after him. The knife is one thing, but he is aware of the supernatural now. If he reports us to the public there's no telling what could happen!"

Hope stomped away and chose to fight with her emotions since she was unable to convince Alaric or herself with logic. Thankfully, Dr. Saltzman chose not to continue the conversation. Instead, he put out a call to Donovan, his contact at the local police station, to keep an eye out for Landon or any strange, inexplicable occurrences in the area.

Hope spent the rest of the day in a numbed and dull state of mind, consumed by the feelings of a budding romance she'd experienced the evening prior and contrasting them with the harsh truth come daybreak. _'Did Landon get close to me just to steal the knife?'_ she wondered.

Hope wandered into the library and quietly helped Dorian clean up the broken glass and the empty knife stand. Before Dorian could broach the subject or tell her it wasn't her fault for trusting Landon, she slipped away and meandered through the halls. Landon's ghosts were everywhere she roamed and she wished she'd never given him such a thorough tour of the grounds.

Her aimless trailing ended in front of the infirmary and she pushed her way in. Emma was seated next to the stranger, who looked noticeably healthier and much younger than Hope recalled.

"Are you sure this is the same guy?" Hope asked, voice laden with doubt. She moved to the bedside to glare at the bedridden man. "Did you search him for the knife?"

"Yes, Hope," Emma answered, her response measured. "I already went over this with Dr. Saltzman. He doesn't have it. And I have a beacon that alerts me whenever someone enters or leaves the room. He hasn't been in or out. He hasn't even gotten out of bed yet." Emma elaborated then spun in her chair to give Hope her full attention. It was obvious to see the young woman was distraught. The first time she trusted an outsider, she was met with crippling disappointment. As a guidance counselor, Emma could not let this one negative experience color the rest of Hope's interactions with humanity.

"Let's talk. He won't be listening," Emma waved a hand at the stranger and Hope felt an isolation barrier spawn around the bed.

"I don't need to talk. I need to find the knife. I need to make this right. I need…"

"You need someone to confide in. You need a friend you can trust," Emma finished and stood to pull Hope into a hug. She didn't resist. "I know it hurts beyond words, but believe me when I say the pain will subside. Not all humans are as bad as they seem. Landon was scared. We took Rafael, his foster brother, away from him so we could safely train him and judging from his past, Landon was just as lonely as you are. I think he just wanted some insurance - anything to keep him tied to the school and his friend."

Hope simply stood there, unable to voice a reply. She eventually left to brood in her room until she was called for an emergency school meeting come nightfall. When she finally did come out, her eyes were sharp and unyielding. If her life really was turning into a Shakespearean tragedy, then she might as well double-down.

_"Think therefore on revenge and cease to weep."_

* * *

Shirou's steely eyes snapped open. Unlike before, his body was rejuvenated and completely under his control. The infirmary was unlit. Emma Tig left him to attend some kind of emergency meeting with the headmaster. It was most likely related to the theft he kept hearing about while crippled in bed. A glance out the window told him it was early evening. There was a treeline less than 300 meters from his position. He rolled out of bed and pulled the IV out of his arm.

He considered staying to learn more about the world and the people in it, but he was one of the main suspects in the recent crime against the school. A simple investigation and a DNA test would prove he had no identity to speak of in this world and that would condemn him even further. He could tell that Emma and Dorian were kind and honest people, but he wasn't willing to see how far their generosity stretched. _'Hello, I'm from a parallel universe and I have no idea why I'm here,' _didn't seem like a great way to start off an introduction.

"Trace, on." He whispered, sending a surge of magical energy through his body. A quick cast of Structural Grasp highlighted his current condition as well as any issues his body still had. At best, he was at 75% of his peak but what troubled him the most was how difficult it was to use magecraft. Zelretch was right: his spells did not function as they did in his world. A search for his sidearm proved almost as fruitless. To no one's surprise, his mysterious benefactors had taken his handgun. He tried to Trace a simple combat knife but was absolutely astounded at how difficult it was. It was like Gaia had a personal vendetta against his magecraft. It took almost twice the energy and time to produce the knife and Shirou could tell it would be quick to vanish and far too brittle to reliably use more than three times.

Instead, Shirou looked around for a makeshift weapon and settled for a headless mop. This time, he tested his Reinforcement, and although it was still more demanding than it should have been, the end result proved much more effective than his Tracing. He dismissed the combat knife it shattered into countless orbs of light. Now armed, he planned his escape. From what he overheard, Shirou knew there was some kind of bounded field set up around the room that would alert Emma Tig the moment he left. He decided against Tracing Rulebreaker or Gae Daerg to undo the field. If whatever passed for this world's version of Gaia was already working this hard to destroy his common, nameless Traces then projecting a Noble Phantasm would be several magnitudes worse. Until he obtained a better understanding of the world he was in and its metaphysical laws, rules, and restrictions, he couldn't afford to rely on his magecraft too much.

Unfortunately, Shirou's mastery over magecraft was already third-rate in his own world. Trying to understand how this bounded field worked without knowing the basic spellcasting rules of this new world was an impossibility for him nor did he have the time or the resources to puzzle it out. If subtly was out, then all that left was to brute force his way through.

Shirou unlatched the window and leaped, landing in a roll on well-trimmed grass. At least the mundane environment was the same. He was half-expecting air to be toxic. He sprinted toward the treeline, a half-eaten sandwich in his mouth courtesy of Emma Tig's unfinished dinner.

* * *

"...And that is why I will need all of your help in locating Landon Kirby," Dr. Saltzman said then dismissed the students for the evening.

"Oh crap! Dorian. _Dorian!_" Emma hissed as Dorian tore his attention away from the headmaster's speech and call to action.

"What is it?"

"The man in the infirmary... he just _jumped out the third story window_!"

Dorian's eyes widened. "_What?!_ Ric! Hope! We've got a problem!"

"What now?" Dr. Saltzman asked with Hope in tow.

"That stranger from earlier this week just jumped out the infirmary's third story window. I think he's making a break for the treeline." Emma explained.

"Hope!" Dr. Saltzman called as he reached for one of the nearest medieval weapons showcased across the campus walls. His hands found a spear.

"On it!" Hope sprinted out the door, not bothering to retrieve a weapon. She wanted to use her bare hands for this one. She transformed into her wolven form and bolted after the man's fading scent. She ignored Dr. Saltzman's calls to wait, already caught in the hunt and her emotions carrying her on a wild, enraged high. It wasn't long before she finally caught sight of fresh footprints.

_'Holy crap! He's really fast,'_ she thought, increasing her pace as she made it through the woodline. Even now, she could tell she was just barely gaining on him. But even if he was faster, the woods surrounding the school grounds was _HER_ territory. She knew every tree and every shortcut, while he had to slow his pace every so often to avoid an obstacle and reorient his direction of travel. A few more minutes of expert bob and weaving, and she was nearly upon him, her wolven eyes narrowing.

She saw him look over his shoulder, steel eyes glaring back at her with a mix of determination and surprise. Hope howled in victory, perceiving his motion as a sign of weakness and pounced. She'd be careful not to break him _TOO_ much, but she was stressed and very high-strung, so a few bruised ribs could be overlooked, right?

Even as the thoughts of violence crossed her mind, an intense pain knocked her back into reality and she found herself slammed into a tree eliciting a painful whine.

_'... Did I just get hit by a speeding car?!'_ She slowly rose back onto all fours. Her balance was shattered and she needed to shake off the stars swimming across her vision. But before she could regain her bearings, she was greeted with another bludgeoning blow to the top of her head that stunned her again. Instincts flared and she threw herself back to soften the follow up to her jugular. Hope landed gracefully, her four limbs splayed out and her fangs bared. If she hadn't dodged that last attack in the nick of time, she'd been left with more than just a sore throat.

The not-so-old man stood in a simple readied stance, a friggin _MOP_ held aloft. Was that what he hit her with?! She was fairly sure mop shafts weren't built to take _THAT_ much force. She prowled around him, although he had the presence of mind to backpedal so as to not let her get behind him and cut off his escape route.

* * *

'A_ dire wolf?!'_ Shirou cursed his eternally bad luck. When it tried to tackle him, he spun on his heel, his improvised weapon twirling with the motion. He cracked the headless mop against the gigantic wolf's skull with enough force to send it careening into the nearest tree. He aimed for the soft flesh by its ear in order to jar its balance, but it recovered much quicker than he anticipated. Still, Shirou was upon it before it could retaliate. A heavy, overhead, two-handed blow to the top of its skull dazed it again; long enough for Shirou to chamber back and slam the mop into the monster's neck. It retreated to bleed off some of the strike's force but Shirou still had to praise its natural toughness. He put enough force behind that last blow to fracture bedrock. It was most likely some kind of enhanced familiar sent out by a Magus within the school. The creature had noticeable intelligence by the way it tried to cut off his escape route.

_'Should I just kill it here?'_ Shirou mulled and tightened his grip around the mop. He still wasn't willing to Trace a Noble Phantasm, but he had plenty of Mystic Codes and low-level magical weapons at his disposal. While he was pondering his next move, the monster lunged again, this time with a marked increase in its bestial ferocity.

"Trace, on!" He called out and poured more Prana into his Reinforcement. Shirou wanted to gradually test his new limitations within this world in order to safely find out the upper limit of his spellcasting, but his plans never ever panned out the way he wanted. His sudden increase in speed and strength obviously surprised the monster but Shirou didn't wait for it to adjust. Instead, he chambered back like a baseball player would to the perfect pitch and delivered a brutal blow to its snout while the huge wolf was carried forward by its overwhelming momentum. There was a resounding _CRACK_ followed by a horrific howl as the creature was sent tumbling away and eventually… morphed into a battered and naked girl, clutching her broken nose.

"What the fuck!?" They both said in unison.

* * *

"Thank you for cooperating, Mr. Emiya-"

"Shirou is fine," he interrupted.

"Right. Shirou," Dr. Saltzman amended. He looked toward Hope, who held a small glass orb in one hand and an ice pack against her nose with the other. Her eyes were completely focused on him. If glares could kill, Shirou would be long dead. As far as he could tell, they were under the school in some kind of enchanted dungeon. Dr. Saltzman and Hope stood outside his cell while he was given a chair and not much else.

"So you're telling me you have no idea why you showed up out of nowhere on my doorstep."

"No, Doctor. I do not." The orb flashed blue, indicating the truth. "I came here for a reason, I just can't remember why. It was important, though. Whenever I think about it I…" Shirou trailed off and didn't continue but the orb remained a bright blue. Alaric sighed. This was going nowhere slowly. He decided to be far more upfront with his next question.

"Do you mean us harm?"

"No." The orb was still blue. It hadn't flashed red since the interrogation began. Even Hope couldn't hide her surprise at his latest answer.

"Do you know anything else about the knife that was stolen last night?"

"Other than what I've already learned through hearsay when I was bedridden, no."

"Do you know Landon Kirby?"

"No. I don't know anyone by that name." The orb refused to change colors.

"Are you human?"

"Yes."

"Can you use magic?"

"No." Alaric raised a brow at that answer and turned to the orb. It was still blue. How was that possible?! Hope also thought it was broken and shook her head.

"How did you beat up a werewolf with just your bare hands and a _mop_?"

"Through training and a bit of magecraft to even the odds." The orb was STILL blue.

"You just told me you can't use magic!"

"I really can't," Shirou affirmed, trying to add as much honesty to his tone as he could. To Alaric's chagrin, the orb was still blue. He was about to ask another question when Shirou raised his hand in a placating way.

"Listen. I know you can't trust me, and I wouldn't in your shoes either, but I know how deals between Magi work: equivalent exchange. I want my freedom and you need some help finding this knife. We can let bygones be bygones. I don't want to stir up any trouble for you and your… uh, " Shirou turned to Hope for a moment, unsure of what to properly call her. He had a feeling labeling her as a familiar would be a mistake he wouldn't live to regret. "Students," he eventually settled on. The orb remained blue.

"You know what? Just tell a lie!" Dr. Saltzman exclaimed. "I don't care what it is. Just say one for my own peace of mind," he demanded with a frustrated sigh.

"I'm really bad at archery."

The orb finally flashed a bright red.

* * *

"Sorry about the nose," Shirou apologized through the prison bars after Dr. Saltzman left to plan out his next move. The girl, Hope, just continued on with her deadman's glare. Eventually, she pulled the ice pack away and wiped off a smear of blood to reveal a fully healed nose. He was surprised at how quickly it mended.

"It's fine. I'll make it even. _Corporis _impetu." Hope incanted with a raised hand. Shirou was sent flying into the opposite wall and held there by some invisible force. He grunted from the shock but didn't channel any Prana to try and overpower and break the spell. This was obviously some kind of powerplay and he wasn't about to test his luck while he was trapped in their territory. It's not like he had any measurable amount of pride to wager in this sort of contest, anyway.

"I don't know why you're here or what your plans are, but if you hurt anyone at this school, I'll make you wish you were never born."

Shirou managed to nod once but didn't say anything. Eventually, Hope released the spell. He slid to the ground, head hung in apparent surrender. "That was for the nose." Hope left and blew out the torch, sealing Shirou in darkness.

After he was sure she was no longer eavesdropping, Shirou pulled himself to a stand and made for the small tray of food and water Dr. Saltzman left. It seems the headmaster wasn't nearly as coldhearted as Shirou initially thought. After a quick meal, he began to practice his magecraft. He needed time to properly readjust to this new world. Tracing was just as hard as it was the first time he tried it in the infirmary. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he couldn't risk Tracing a Noble Phantasm without a keen understanding of what mysterious force was crippling his magecraft. It was similar to Gaia in function but much stronger in scope and influence. It was as if his magecraft was being closely monitored by some kind of metaphysical phantom.

He eventually stopped Tracing with an expression of clear dissatisfaction on his face. Unlimited Blade Works was one of the few things Shirou Emiya could say truly belonged to him and no one else. Even his future self had a unique version that looked nothing like his. If Shirou had ANYTHING to take pride in, it would be his personal world of infinite swords. It was the literal manifestation of his soul. Without it, he felt as if a part of himself was lost. He tested the limits of his Reinforcement next. His increase in physical performance was exactly the same as in his original world, but the amount of Prana needed to reach it was almost doubled and the time required to fill his body with energy was even longer. In combat, he'd have to rely on gradual Reinforcement and then up the stakes when necessary. Simply put, he couldn't go from 0 to 100 anymore. It put him at a noticeable disadvantage if he were caught in a surprise attack or in situations where he failed to maintain the initiative.

He sprawled across the dungeon floor, cooling his magically heated body with the cold stone. Despite several hours of meditation, he still had no idea why he was even here. He recalled Luvia sending him through an infinite void, but not the reason. Ever since he came to this world, something was affecting his memories, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Shirou succumbed to a dreamless sleep shortly after.

Early the next morning, Dr. Saltzman came down to the dungeons with a fresh tray of breakfast. Despite a lifetime of discipline and self-control, Shirou couldn't help but stare at it. He was absolutely famished.

"You said you wanted to help, right? You can obviously hold your own if you can break Hope's nose, so I'll take a leap of faith and give you a shot. Here." Dr. Saltzaman set the tray in Shirou's lap after he sat up.

"I'll fill you in. A teenager named Landon Kirby stole a knife from our library. We aren't sure what it does, but we got a tip-off from the local police department that a bus and its passengers were all… incinerated. My contact sent us some pictures and they all looked like they were roasted alive. We're going to investigate for any traces of Landon's involvement. Are you in?"

"If this will help prove my innocence and my intentions then, yes, I am."

"Then meet me in the lobby in ten minutes." Dr. Saltzman left promptly after and left the cell door ajar. Shirou quickly polished off his tray and followed.

The Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted surprised him at every turn. Vampires, Witches, and Werewolves, and even some humans lived in relative harmony with each other. In his world, this would have been an impossibility. These three factions would have murdered each other to extinction. Before he went to the lobby, Shirou followed his nose to the cafeteria and relished the sight of a fully stocked kitchen. If this little outing proved fruitless, at least he could try to win over Dr. Saltzman's favor with his culinary skills. He wanted to explore more - in particular, he wanted to immerse himself in the school's library, but time wouldn't allow it.

* * *

Dr. Saltzman stood waiting in the lobby with Hope and a third male. Another student, Shirou assumed. Hope wore a guarded look heavily laced with suspicion and kept her shoulders squared toward himself and the other student.

"Rafael, this is Shirou. Rafael is one of Landon's best friends. He'll be an asset on our search. Now get in the car and let's go," Dr. Saltzman ordered. Shirou answered with a nod and hopped into the backseat with Rafael. They drove out of town until Dr. Saltzman saw a trail of broken road flares led off the side of the road and into a thick forest.

"I can smell him. He's close!" Rafael exclaimed, jumping out of the car to lead their party into the treeline. Shirou half-listened to the banter between Hope and Rafael. From how she spoke, it was clear Hope had some kind of personal vendetta against Landon Kirby that went beyond the theft and he felt pity for anyone that got on her bad side.

Shirou came to an abrupt halt when he heard twigs snapping. To his surprise, so did the headmaster.

"Someone's here," Shirou informed, breaking up a rising argument between Hope and Rafael. His eyes roamed the area and finally settled on where the sound came from. The headmaster was already running toward the source.

"A woman?" Shirou asked as he caught sight of a dark-skinned woman. He smelt her long before he saw her, his nostrils burning as if they were filled with fire and smoke. She looked haggard with burn marks decorating her off-white dress.

"A survivor from the bus," Dr. Saltzman deduced. "She looks like she's in shock. I need to get her to the police. You three go ahead and find Landon. Don't engage. We don't know how dangerous-"

"He's not dangerous!" Rafael defended.

"I said don't engage." His tone allowed for no argument. The headmaster sounded more like a soldier than a professor. Even Hope remained silent while Shirou simply nodded.

"C' mon," Hope called out. Shirou and Rafael fell in line without another word.

"What's Landon to you, Mr. Rafael?" Shirou asked, trying to break some of the tension between them.

"Uh. It's just Rafael, man," he corrected then took a deep breath to think about his answer when he noticed Hope had shot him a glance over her shoulder. "Landon was the most loyal friend I've ever had. He was there on the worst day of my life - when my girlfriend died. So let me get that knife back for you guys and we all hear him out, okay?"

Hope made to say something, but Shirou didn't need to be a psychic to predict a caustic retort. So he spoke up instead. "Sure, Rafael. I'm not above giving people second chances. There may be more to this than we think." Hope closed her mouth and snorted but turned her attention back to the path. They eventually found Landon's trail and followed it to an abandoned cabin.

Shirou was about to suggest a method of entry when Hope and Rafael began to loudly argue about how to confront Landon. There went his idea of a stealthy approach.

"You've got three minutes to talk to him before I do." Hope declared. Rafael sprinted into the cabin cellar without another word.

"Was that wise?" Shirou finally asked.

"Probably not." She began to quietly follow after Rafael.

"I thought you were going to give him three minutes?"

"Yeah well, people lie." Hope kicked the door down and caught sight of Landon and Rafael turning toward her in equal parts horror and surprise. While they were still caught off-guard, she pinned Landon to the wall with a spell that resembled the one she used on Shirou the night before.

"Hope! Wait! Stop!" Rafael called out, trying to stand between Hope and Landon as if that would somehow break the spell holding him up against the wall.

"Where's the knife?" Hope asked, her voice seething. Shirou's gaze hardened and he prepared to intervene. She wasn't even trying to hide her killing intent.

"I don't have it! I must have lost it in the forest!" Landon explained, his voice quivering in fear.

"After you burned the bus?" Hope accused slowly closing her upraised fist. Landon began to gasp for air.

"That wasn't me I swear! I barely got out alive!"

"Hope! C'mon! Stop! Please!" Rafael pleaded. He was torn, unsure if he should attack or stand aside.

"Last chance! Who the hell was it?!" She walked toward Landon and Shirou could feel the spell strengthening further. She'd crush him to death at this rate.

"That's enough," Shirou said, his voice dangerously neutral as he intruded between Hope and her warpath, forcing her to stop in place. His shoulders were square and his hands were curled as if he held a pair of invisible swords. "If you continue, you'll kill him."

Hope ground her teeth then dropped her hand and Landon fell to the floor in a heap.

"There… was this girl. She breathed fire and… she killed all those people. I swear that's what happened!" Landon managed between coughs, scrambling to his feet. Rafael reached down to pull his foster brother into a hug.

"Oh cut the crap!" Hope made to recast her spell but Rafael shielded Landon with his body.

"I know him!" Rafael tried to placate her, "He's not lying. If he says there's a fire-breathing woman running through the woods then there's a-"

Dr. Saltzman jogged down the stairs from the surface, looking somewhat panicked and covered in soot. "There's a fire breathing woman running through the woods." He explained.

Shirou raised a brow at the confirmation. Even Hope seemed to deflate in shock, her boiling anger abating somewhat.

"She's a pyromancer," Dr. Saltzman explained. "A fire-breathing Witch," he clarified for Landon and Shirou. "She's probably here for the knife. Where is it?"

"I lost it in the forest!" Landon repeated.

"Well let's go find it then." Dr. Saltzman said while Shirou was lost in his own thoughts. What was so special about this knife they were chasing? He dealt with more than his share of enchanted weapons, so he was honestly curious. He followed the group out of the cellar but his musings were utterly and completely shattered when he laid eyes on the woman from before. She stood outside the cellar, waiting for them, with her hand held out expectantly toward Landon. Her eyes glowed and radiated a palpable amount of magical energy.

"She's not human or a Witch," Shirou said out loud, drawing the group's attention. He felt countless swords humming within his Reality Marble in response to the woman's flaring magical energy. It was like these particular weapons were all eager to break free from his inner world and spill this creature's blood across the forest floor. There was only one thing in common among all of the weapons currently resonating within his soul: they all had the dragonslayer property.

As if to confirm his suspicions, she reeled back and exhaled a blast of Dragonfire. The group dove back into the cellar to avoid the flames.

"Is she an ally of yours?" Shirou asked as he dusted himself off while the cellar caught fire around them. Hope uttered a spell that doused the flames, astounding him. Was Dragonfire that easily quenched or was she just that powerful?

"No, She isn't," Dr. Saltzman answered then turned to Shirou. "You said she wasn't human or a Witch. Do you know what she is?"

"A wyvern, I think. At least she's a low-level type of dragon kind," Shirou answered, mentally cycling through a variety of weapons to use against the creature. "In my experience, true Dragonfire isn't that easy to kill." He motioned to the charred walls around them, the fires extinguished thanks to Hope's quick casting.

"A dragon? Really? You think she's a dragon? Those aren't real!" Hope denied, her brows reaching into her hairline.

"What? Of course they're real. They may be nearly extinct but-" Shirou shut his mouth. The laws and history of this world may be very different from his. He couldn't rely too much on his own assumptions. "Trust me, they are real. That thing out there is living, fire-breathing proof," Shirou declared with a level of finality that allowed for no argument.

"All right, FINE. How do we fight it?" Dr. Saltzman surrendered with a shrug. But Shirou shook his head.

"WE don't. I'll go out and kill it. You all stay here."

"Wait, what?" Rafael shook his head, disbelieving what he just heard.

"Seriously?" Landon echoed. "She carbonized an entire bus!"

"You can't tell me what to do," Hope snarled.

"What do you plan on doing, then?" Shirou prodded her with narrowed eyes.

"I have a spell that may help. It's a powerful... earth spell. And I think my magical track record is pretty damn good!" Hope motioned to the dying flames around them. Shirou couldn't argue with such plain proof so he sighed and nodded.

"Dr. Saltzman, please keep these two safe and make your way to the car. We'll follow after." Shirou said with no small measure of resolution, but Alaric couldn't see where he was drawing his confidence from. A moment later, they all climbed out of the cellar, ready for battle.

* * *

"Oh. My. God." Hope said numbly, as she stared up the looming monstrosity above them. "It's… a real dragon." The group was momentarily transfixed. Even Shirou had to spare a heartbeat to marvel at the sight.

_"RUN!"_ Shirou called out as the creature took flight with one beat of its wings. Dr. Saltzman, Rafael, and Landon bolted in the opposite direction, intending to circle around back to the car. It looked like it was about to follow them, Landon in particular, when a black knife bounced off its eye-ridge, drawing its attention back to Shirou and Hope. It noticed another knife in Shirou's hand and roared then audibly inhaled. Shirou dismissed his second knife and raised his hand in reply.

"Trace, on!"

This time, the Dragonfire would be far more potent. The amount of magical energy gathering in its lungs was several times greater than its human form. The color drained from Hope's face as she felt the intense heat generating within the dragon even before it exhaled.

"Uh. This was a bad call. We should run." Hope took a step backward.

"No, cast your spell. I'll handle the defense." Shirou said, his voice steady and his gaze completely focused on the dragon. There wasn't a single trace of bravado or false pride in his words. Just a measured statement of fact. Hope still shot him an incredulous look but she sighed and steeled herself.

"In for a penny out for a pound!" She pulled out a piece of parchment with a suspiciously large skull drawn over it and began to chant. From what Shirou could understand of the words, the spell had absolutely NOTHING to do with the earth. The dragon finally exhaled in retaliation, sending a swirling vortex of annihilating Dragonfire at the pair.

Hope's eyes closed shut just as Shirou called forth his greatest defense!

_"RHO AIAS!"_ His voice boomed as an iridescent seven petaled flower of red light bloomed between them and the Dragonfire. The brittle flower-shield shook from the impact but held firm. Shirou grunted at the unexpected amount of pressure and clenched his jaw as one of the petals quickly burned away, removing one layer of defense and causing a few blood vessels in his arm to pop. His face twisted into a grimace. He gravely miscalculated - the crippling effects this world's metaphysical laws had on his Tracing was much worse than he anticipated. Rho Aias was never this delicate even when he first used it against Gilgamesh. A second petal was already about to break. It hadn't even been six seconds.

"Are you done yet? Or should I take over?" Shirou managed through gritted teeth, already thinking of contingencies.

Hope opened her eyes to realize she wasn't dead and stared up at the light show occurring just within her reach. An all-consuming fire fought to incinerate a huge, flower-shaped shield made entirely of light. She'd never seen or even heard of a shield spell so beautiful and was awestruck.

_"HOPE!"_ Shirou shouted, bringing the Tribrid back to reality. She continued the chant, unleashing another wave of light that blinded her, the dragon, and Shirou. Hope collapsed to the ground, her legs giving way from the strain of casting the spell.

Her sight recovered just in time to watch the dragon back crawl across the ground in her human form. She left a trail of blood in her wake and Shirou was already looming over her, an intricate sword held ready to run her through. Even at a glance, Hope could tell that was no normal sword. It radiated a power she could feel in her very bones.

Without any fanfare or mercy, Shirou impaled the dragon through the heart and twisted to widen the wound. The woman gasped, still trying to pull itself away from him when she finally gave up and died. The sword shattered into motes of light a moment later. Shirou wore a frustrated look as he stared at his empty hands. It was the most emotion he expressed to date. She went over to his side so she could better inspect the body.

"What is _this_?" Dr. Saltzman's question drew their attention. He was holding up the page Hope dropped.

When did he circle back toward them? Hope thought, despairing. She was banking on Alaric not being around when she used the spell. She looked away from his face.

"This _isn't_ earth magic, Hope!" He angrily pressed.

"This wasn't an earth magic problem," she tried for a casual dismissal to bleed off Alaric's overwhelming disapproval. Shirou was silent, his focus split between the dragon's body and the confrontation between Hope and Dr. Saltzman. If this revolved around the school's rules, then he had no right or reason to intrude unless it came to blows.

_"We don't allow black magic."_ Dr. Saltzman continued. "It gets inside your heart and it poisons your mind. I looked the other way this morning because I knew you were upset, but this is a death spell," the final two words came out in a hoarse whisper. "A spell you didn't know you'd be using on a dragon which means you were planning on using it on someone else."

Hope opened her mouth but closed it again, unable to reply. There were tears welling in her eyes.

"Landon did something stupid, maybe evil. We won't know until we learn more, but he's just a _kid_, Hope! And so are you. This hatred… this vengeance… This is your father. It can't be you. I won't allow it." This was different from any other scolding he'd given her since they met. There was something in his tone that made her cringe: Confusion. Disappointment. Anger. Fear. And worst of all, hate.

Hope swallowed, her mouth dry.

"Now you bury her and I'll see you two back at the car." Dr. Saltzman pushed past them and toward the highway.

The pair worked in silence until sundown. Shirou marked the grave with a simple arrangement of small rocks that spelled out "dragon" in Elder Futhark. They eventually left for the car, each lost in their own thoughts.

"Hey," Hope called, her voice brittle. She probably just wanted to break the silence, so Shirou stopped and gave her his full attention. She wore a lonely smile. "Thanks. For coming out to fight with me. Not everyone's brave enough to go head-to-head with a dragon, you know?" She stated, trying to adopt a more cavalier tone.

"You're welcome, Miss Mikaelson," Shirou smiled and Hope blinked. It was the first one she'd seen him wear one. It didn't look all too bad.

"Uh. Hope's good," she recovered walking over to him to offer him a handshake. "Can I call you Shirou?"

"Yes, that's all right," he answered somewhat stiffly and shook her hand. Hope heard the Japanese were a stickler for manners. He'd have to get over that if he planned on staying in Virginia.

"So you can cast spells…" she trailed off, recalling the light-flower shield. Shirou nodded as if it were a matter of course.

"Great! Because you are _SO_ going to teach me that shield spell, Shirou." She patted his shoulder and stepped around him. Shirou watched her go with then sighed. Was it too late to disappear into the forest?

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis here again with another update. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. For all of you still curious, this chapter includes Legacies S1E1 and S1E2. I would suggest watching both to help fill in the gaps around the dynamics and history between Landon and Rafael's relationship. Shirou still can't piece together why his Tracing is so crippled and it will take some time for him to adjust to Nature's Laws and Balance. To be specific, his Tracing violates the Law of Creation and Destruction and until he can find a Loophole to properly exploit, his Traces will be very weak and brittle when compared to his normal performance.

I would still like a beta and, if anyone would spare the time to make one, an image representing the story!

**Key Terms:**

_Tracing:_ A unique form of Projection created by Shirou Emiya. It allows him to reproduce copies of items with near perfect accuracy. This is especially true with swords and most melee weapons.

_Reinforcement:_ By filling the flaws in his physical body with magical energy, Shirou is able to boost his physical performance superhuman levels.

Magecraft, Witchcraft, and Magic: In relation to Shirou Emiya, there are three distinct definitions of the terms as he understands them. Magecraft is the act of casting spells which effects can be replicated with modern-day science. For example, lighting a tree on fire can be done with a fire spell or with gasoline and a match. Witchcraft is a particular branch of magecraft that is commonly related to curses, illusions, and manipulation. Magic, or True Magic, are spells that cannot be replicated through mundane means. Things like multi-dimensional travel, time travel, or anything that truly break the laws of thermodynamics. Because he based his entire understanding of spellcasting on these terms, the truth-seeing orb Hope used during Shirou's interrogation declared his answers to be truthful.

_Noble Phantasms:_ Mythical weapons of legend that belonged to famous heroes and villains. King Arthur's Excalibur is probably the most obvious example.

_Rho Aias, The Seven Rings that Cover the Fiery Heavens:_ This is a defensive Noble Phantasm that comes in the shape of a red larkspur made entirely of light. It showcases its greatest power when pitted against a thrown weapon but functions just fine as a general shield. It is also Shirou's greatest defense. It is based on the legend of Aias the Great's shield.

_Gaia:_ The world's "consciousness" in Shirou's universe. It hates the unnatural, especially anything related to human magecraft, so it seeks to erase them. It's like a metaphysical immune response to bacteria or viruses. This is the primary reason why Shirou's Traces aren't permanent even in his original universe - they are all eventually crushed out of existence by Gaia's will. This concept is similar to Nature and its Laws of Balance, although Gaia's influence is much weaker and it actively hates humanity and works to exterminate mankind.

_Landon Kirby:_ An old acquaintance from Hope's past and Rafael's foster brother. He stole an ancient knife from the school's library but doesn't know why he even did it. He and Hope share a blossoming romance after she introduced him into the supernatural.

_Rafael Waithe:_ A newly-triggered werewolf and Landon's foster brother. He and Landon are best friends and have been together for a long time. He is the main reason Landon wants to stay at the school despite not having a supernatural heritage.


	3. Chapter 3: The Campus Cook

"So, do you have any idea what the dagger does?" Dr. Saltzman asked as Shirou held the knife up to his face, his eyes scanning every inch of it. Hope, Dorian, Emma, Landon, and Rafael waited with bated breath. Ever since Shirou divulged that he could read the history of weapons, they all met up in the headmaster's main office to finally solve the mystery behind the blade.

"Well?" Landon spoke up, shooting furtive glances between Shirou and Hope. He returned the blade to Hope along with an apology and an explanation, but she still treated him like he never existed. Rafael told him she needed space, but the awkward atmosphere was more constricting then when she was choking him to death with telekinesis.

Shirou lowered the dagger onto the headmaster's desk. "It's not actually a weapon. It's a dimensional lock and tether." He said. To his chagrin, everyone just shot him deadpan looks. Shirou blinked then sighed. He took a moment to recompose his thoughts.

"This is going to be a _VERY_ hard-to-believe story, so just wait until the end, all right?" Dr. Saltzman just shook his head and motioned for Shirou to continue.

"All right. This dagger is tied to a dimension called _'Malivore'_ which was created specifically to annihilate Phantasmal Species." He paused at their blank looks. "Mythical creatures and monsters like the dragon from earlier," he clarified. "When something enters Malivore, any memory of it is erased from existence. And they mainly pass on knowledge through folklore. The Malivore's offspring and a group of Witches created three seals to keep the Malivore from manifesting into a sentient golem and turned it into a black tar pit instead. This dagger is one of them."

"...Okay. So what happens if we get stabbed by the dagger?" Landon asked, morbidly curious.

"Nothing. It's just a dagger."

"Why does that not make me feel any better?" Rafael asked, folding his arms.

"What else?" Dr. Saltzman pressed. It was clear Shirou knew more.

"Well, there is plenty of mundane history behind this knife, but it's all relatively unimportant unless you want to hear stories of how many people used this knife to murder other people."

"Go on," Dr. Saltzman urged.

Shirou turned to Hope and shot her a queer glance as if he'd just run into a carnival sideshow. "The Malivore was created by the blood of a Witch, a Vampire, and a Werewolf."

"Wait, what did you just say?" Hope asked, eyes wide.

"The blood of a Witch, a Vampire, and a Werewolf," Dorian repeated, putting all the pieces together. "Hope, this entire thing is about you and Nature. You're the Malivore's _Loophole!_"

"... So I'm supposed just accept that I'm some kind of sacrificial tool to kill a-"

"Hope! Stop! Don't finish that sentence, _please_. If you deny the truth, Nature will take away your powers," Emma pleaded, desperate to keep her from speaking further. Hope appeared torn but eventually swallowed. Shirou watched the exchange, utterly lost. He still had no idea what they were talking about. He really needed to spend some time studying this world's magical theory. He wasn't the only one: Landon and Rafael were just as confused.

"All right. Let's hypothesize that Hope is the Loophole," Dr. Saltzman spoke up. Hope seethed. "The best thing we can do just maintain the seal on Malivore. Can we destroy the knife, Shirou?"

Shirou mulled over the notion. "Not by any mundane means. It survived this long without a single scratch for a reason," he answered and folded his arms, eyes closed in thought. He cycled through his Reality Marble for possible options.

Landon thought Shirou's sudden silence meant he had no solutions to offer so he spoke up: "We could just keep the Malivore from getting the three seals."

"A dragon wanted the dagger. What's _next?_ We can't keep fighting these things indefinitely. We don't even know where the other two seals are," Rafael reminded.

"All right, everyone just cool it! We'll think about a course of action later," Dr. Saltzman said, drawing upon a powerful authoritative tone. "Just get some sleep. Shirou, can I talk to you alone?"

"Sure," he answered and the pair waited for the others to leave. "What did you need?"

"I wanted to say thanks for protecting Hope. That was one hell of a shield spell. I've never seen anything like it. Hope's right, it was absolutely beautiful. If spells could be works of art, that would be it."

Shirou didn't respond. He never responded to praise; he had almost no pride to stoke with it. Dr. Saltzman looked away and poured himself a glass of whiskey. The silence was heavy then he spoke again.

"I wasn't sure if you were a Witch, but after that display, I can't deny it. Are you self-taught?"

Shirou paused as if trying to recall a fleeting memory. Images of a _woman in red_ danced like wisps before his eyes then vanished a heartbeat later. "No. My father was my only teacher."

"Yeah, about that. Emiya, right? Well, I did some digging and there's no one named Shirou Emiya from Fuyuki City, Japan. There's not even a Fuyuki City. _So_," he took a sip of his glass and pulled out three different orbs, the same ones that could detect lies.

"Let's try this again: what is your name?"

"Shirou Emiya."

"Where are you from?"

"Fuyuki City, Japan."

"Did you lie about the knife?"

"No."

"Why are you here?"

"I don't know."

In a rare show of anger, Dr. Saltzman took one of the orbs and threw it into the double doors leading out of his office. The glass ball shattered and drew a gasp from outside the door. He blinked then stomped toward the entrance and threw it open to reveal Hope, Landon, and Rafael standing there, looking sheepish.

_"Go to sleep."_ He ordered. They left wordlessly. Shirou watched the trio bolt away with a faint smile.

"Do you mean us harm?" Dr. Saltzman asked as he turned around.

"No." The orbs remained blue the entire time. He made his way back to his desk and drained the what was left of his glass before he asked his final question:

"Would you like to stay?"

Shirou couldn't hide his surprise. Alaric motioned toward the orbs.

"Yes, I would."

* * *

"And this is our final stop: the library," Elizabeth Saltzman introduced with a bright smile. Her twin sister, Josette wore a similar expression. Shirou could only politely smile back.

"Thank you for the tour, Elizabeth, Josette," he said bowing his head slightly.

"Lizzie/Josie's fine!" They both replied. There was a sudden scramble around the campus, a sign that the next period of classes was about to begin.

"I don't want you to be late for your classes so I'll just wander the campus for now. Thanks, again," before the pair could argue otherwise, Shirou expertly vanished into the throng of students. An amazing feat, because he was the only one with a full head of grey hair.

The tour was informative, but he already had a destination in mind. Last night, Dr. Saltzman was generous enough to let him stay at the school as long as he wanted. But Shirou was no freeloader. He saw at a glance the school was in no hurry to scrap for funding, so the notion of paying a boarding fee was pointless. Not to mention, it would have been a half-hearted measure. He could earn his keep by providing his services as a handyman, but Shirou never truly enjoyed the act of repairing machines.

He made a promise to Archer that he'd find joy in acts other than saving people, so it was time to make good on that promise. He threw open the doors to the school kitchen. The cooks turned in his direction, startled by his dynamic entry. His steely gaze flashed with a primal urge he barely contained!

"Get me an apron!"

* * *

"All right, Hope, spill. Whose tall, dark, and grey?" Lizzie demanded as she pushed her way next to Hope during their break period.

Hope shook her head and took a breath to mourn her futile attempt at avoiding high school drama. She then settled for staring at Lizzie as if she'd grown a third head. "Is this a riddle?"

"She's talking about the new exchange student," Josie clarified. "The one from Japan, Shirou."

"Oh, he's... Uh. Helping your dad with something. But he's not really a student. Does he look like he'd fit in a high school classroom?"

"That was terrible," Lizzie shook her head at Hope's attempt at deflection. "What does he have to do with dad?"

"Sorry, trade secret," Hope wore a sarcastic smile."Oh look at the time," she pulled her sleeve down to glance at a non-existent watch, "I need to go deal with Landon."

"You'd rather talk to an alleged thief instead of me?" Lizzie's face twisted as if she bit into something sour.

"Yeah. Bye," Hope wandered away, heading toward the lake behind the school. She was in charge of puzzling out what sort of supernatural being Landon really was and she was given a wide berth in how to find out. She grinned several ideas in mind and none of them all-too pleasant.

She spent the rest of the day running Landon through a myriad of physical activities. They tested for super speed, strength, reflexes - anything, really. To her surprise and his despair, he was average in virtually all categories. There was nothing special about him.

"So," Landon panted, while sprawled across the lawn, "what's next?"

"Nothing. Nothing's next," Hope sighed. A part of her wanted him to display_ SOMETHING_. Expending all this effort but receiving no pay off was the very definition of time wasted.

"Wait, wait. We just can't give up. This all started because I touched the knife. There has to be something!" Landon wanted so desperately to stay. To belong. At first, it was solely because Rafael was here, but now he had a second reason to remain.

"So… about my apology the other day," he sat up, trying to start the conversation he so badly wanted to have. Hope rolled her eyes and walked away toward the dining hall. Landon stared up at the setting sun for a little while longer then followed after her.

The atmosphere around the hall was electric and the cafeteria staff was in overdrive trying to serve a line of students that extended out the door. By the time Landon managed to score a tray, the food was almost gone.

"Did we get a new chef? This is great!" Hope exclaimed as she sat down next to Rafael. He was momentarily peeved at how comfortable she and Rafael were with each other but dismissed it. This was their world, not his, he numbly thought. He joined their table, sitting down next to Rafael, who greeted him with a fist bump.

Hope was about to go fall back in line but Landon waved her back down.

"Hate to burst your bubble, but there's not enough for seconds. The staff said so."

"Bummer. Are you going to eat that?"

"Yes!" Landon said inching his tray away from Hope's hands. She attacked him with puppy eyes. It was probably several times more effective since she was an actual werewolf. "I can close my eyes and eat at the same time, you know."

To his surprise, Hope actually smiled at his joke.

_'Maybe today wasn't a total wash.'_

* * *

Shirou watched from the trio from the sidelines, a smile plastered across his face. _'Maybe good food really is the key to world peace.'_ He lingered for a moment then left the cafeteria. While it was devoid of students, Shirou took the opportunity to enjoy the stillness outside. He meandered out into the forest and toward a barely used archery range. There, he picked out a bow and a quiver of arrows and prepared to shoot.

He drew back the bowstring and released the arrow in a perfect, robotic motion. The arrow sliced through the air and nailed the bullseye. He repeated the process over and over again. Not once did he miss. Each movement was slow, deliberate, and immaculate. It didn't take long before the bullseye was covered in arrows. He filtered out the excitement echoing from the main building and made to retrieve the arrows for another round when a rustle from the surrounding woods attracted his attention. With a frown, he found a new quiver and skulked toward the source.

_'A gargoyle?'_ Shirou thought while he watched a hulking stone creature stomp through the forest and toward the school. 'It's after the knife?' He knelt behind a large tree, nocked an arrow and drew back the bow, taking aim at the back of the monster's head. Either the gargoyle failed to notice him or it was ignoring him entirely. Regardless, he wasn't going to waste a free opportunity. The gargoyle was armed with a stone sword, so he deduced it wasn't heading to the school for a nice chat over tea and crumpets.

"Trace, on."

Magical energy filled the bow and arrow, Reinforcing them far beyond their default capabilities. Shirou continued enhancing the arrow until it was capable of piercing reinforced concrete. In the next moment, he stood up, exposing his position. The gargoyle turned to face him as he released the shot. Even though it were nearly pitch black, there was no way that Shirou Emiya would miss a surprise headshot this close.

Propelled by a bow that could now fire arrows at near supersonic speed, the Reinforced arrow ripped the head clean off the monster's shoulders. The body pitched forward then crumbled into dust. Before the arrow could do any further damage, Shirou dismissed the magic Reinforcing it. The arrow wobbled in mid-flight before the sheer speed it traveled at snapped it in half. Gravity brought the two halves to the ground halfway between the archery range and the main school building.

The threat dealt with, Shirou lowered his bow and eventually returned to the archery range to tidy it up.

* * *

"Hey! Shirou! You should join Ric and me for a few sparring matches!" Hope called out when she and Dr. Saltzman caught him going through his daily training routine alone in the middle of the forest. It was just prior to daybreak, so Shirou didn't see any scheduling issues. Even the headmaster approved of his participation, so he had no excuse to refuse. Besides, he needed to get a better gauge of his abilities within this world. Dr. Saltzman was once a famous vampire hunter and Hope was a Tribrid. He'd be hard pressed to find better measures of his strength to compare to. He followed the pair to a small platform built along the lake's shoreline.

"Did you get a chance to eat last night, Shirou?" Hope asked when she tossed him a pair of arm-length training sticks. She didn't even bother asking him if he knew how to fight; not after his demonstration with a mop last week.

"Yes. I saved a portion for myself after I cooked dinner. Did you like it?"

Both Alaric and Hope froze at that declaration.

"That was you? I'm tempted to hire you full-time," Dr. Saltzman complimented.

"You totally should cook more often," Hope half-agreed and half-pleaded.

"Sure. I can prepare the school's dinners. I don't take classes except for any related to Witchcraft, so I am free in the afternoons anyway."

"Perfect! You can start today," Hope looked to Dr. Saltzman for confirmation. He nodded in sagely agreement. Shirou wore a pleased smile.

"Wait. If I beat you, can I pick the dish?"

"Sure," Shirou acquiesced with a light chuckle. "What are the rules?"

"To knock down or surrender," Hope answered, twirling a stick between her fingers.

"All right. Will it just be Hope or are you two going to team up on me?"

Hope scoffed and Alaric ruefully shook his head. "Let's just start with one-on-one matches for now," he stepped off to the side to sit on a bench and watch. He was secretly grateful Shirou would share in the burden of getting beaten up by Hope. His old bones needed a break. He waited for them both to ready themselves then called the match to start.

Hope had a personal stake in this. She liked Shirou well enough, but he did break her nose when they first met along with her pride. He didn't fight back when she confronted him in the dungeons so it left her feeling unsatisfied. _'This will even the score,'_ she thought, licking her lips. This time, he wouldn't surprise her with his superhuman strength and speed. She'd go all out right from the start!

The moment Alaric started the match, Hope stepped forward and closed the distance with inhuman speed. Her stick struck out but never met her opponent's body. Shirou parried with his own a split second before her blow would have landed. Hope struck again with her off hand to test Shirou's defenses. Again her attack was deflected. And then it was her turn to block a furious barrage of strikes she could barely follow. She was forced to either block or dodge - Shirou left her no room to counter. In only two exchanges, he had taken complete control of the match. He dictated the pace. He even determined where she could run.

_'How is he so fast?!'_ Hope questioned through gritted teeth. It wasn't just speed. Any blows that managed to sneak under her guard were meant to inflict the most pain possible, slowing her down whenever she tried to reclaim the initiative and launch a proper offense. The pain would quickly fade thanks to her accelerated healing factor, but the momentary lapse in her focus was enough for Shirou to push her back into a corner that she'd have to claw her way out of again just to have a chance at properly attacking. It was like playing whack-a-mole, but she was the mole and he could somehow predict which hole she'd pop out of.

Alaric gaped at the display. As far as he could tell, Shirou hadn't used an ounce of magic nor was he using overwhelming speed or strength. He was matching Hope's superhuman attacks with pure skill. She dodged, blocked, and attacked with a ferocity he hadn't seen in any of their spars since, but she just couldn't overcome Shirou's foresight or his technique. No movement was wasted - each one of Shirou's maneuvers was perfectly calculated; like he was tracing a roadmap that led to victory. Not once did his steely eyes falter. Soon Alaric realized Shirou was just waiting for Hope to get frustrated and make a mistake she couldn't recover from. If she could outlast him, she'd win.

But a second later, one of Hope's sticks pinwheeled overhead. She fell on her butt with a heavy thud, her head craned to follow her weapon's path as it traced a high arc off the training platform and into the water. She turned just in time to see Shirou level his own stick at her chin and place his foot over her other stick. Ironically enough, he was the one sweating from head to toe and barely able to stand.

"I can still cook whatever you want," he said between breaths.

* * *

"Hope, are you all right? You look… mad," Landon asked at breakfast.

"It's because I'm talking to you!" She snapped then stabbed a fork into her scrambled eggs and twisted. Landon recoiled. "Sorry no. It's not about you. It's about Shirou."

"Oh… Okay. Did something happen?"

"He beat the _shit_ out of me."

_"WHAT?!"_

"Nevermind. It's a wolf-thing. You wouldn't understand."

"Okay then. Were we going to run through more tests today?"

"No. I need to wolf out for a bit after class before I murder Shirou in his sleep. I spent the whole day playing hooky with you yesterday, so I have a ton of homework to make up, too."

Landon leaned back in his chair after Hope left and tossed his fork back onto his tray. "Great. Now what?" He looked around aimlessly until his gaze settled on Shirou. He was eating alone. They hadn't really spoken much since the dragon incident, so he was eager to see how Shirou was adjusting. That and he knew how much loneliness could hurt.

"Hey, Shirou. Got space?" Landon asked. Before Shirou could reply, Landon set his half-finished tray on the table. "How are you holding up? Oh, you can just call me Landon. I know you tend to use last names."

"Right. But I'm well enough Landon, thank you."

"Man, and here I thought Hope was hard to talk to. It's like you have a set response for everything. It doesn't take a genius to see you're hiding your fair share of secrets, Shirou. But you gotta open up at least a little. Even Hope wants you to become her friend and she doesn't have the best track record of letting people in. I should know."

"You really do care for her?" Shirou asked.

Landon blinked at Shirou's casual deflection but replied after a few moments: "Yes. I do. I'd like to see her happy."

"Then train with me."

"Come again?"

"Train with me if you want to protect her. I've been doing my research and I learned what a Loophole is. Do you remember what Mr. Williams said in the headmaster's office? About Hope, Nature, and Loopholes?"

"Sort of? I was missing _a lot_ of context."

"So was I. In layman's terms, Mr. Williams and the others think that Hope might need to sacrifice her life to contain the Malivore if the three seals are released. If you want to keep that from happening, you will need to protect her and those seals."

"But I'm not… special. How am I supposed to do that?"

"By training with me. If you are going to use your humanity as an excuse, I'll remind you that Dr. Saltzman is a human and not many at this school dare question him. It won't be easy, but it is possible."

"But Dr. Saltzman won't let me stay here. He said it was too dangerous."

"If you are alone, yes. But I will protect you. I don't have much else to do here, anyway."

"You're serious? You'll help me, just like that? No strings attached?"

"Yes."

"Thanks, man! I owe you, big time! Like really big! When do we start?"

"Right now. Give me your cellphone."

Landon raised a brow but handed it over and Shirou spent a few minutes typing up a document then returned it. It was a nutritional guide that highlighted everything he'd need to eat on a daily basis.

"Whoa. This is a bit _intense_."

Shirou shook his head and wore a grim smile. "I haven't gone over the physical training schedule yet."

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis again with another update! So the deviations from the canon Legacies begin to take root! The biggest one is obviously the early reveal of the Malivore's history and Hope's role as a Loophole. Unfortunately, this is the last of my prewritten chapters! Some of you have questions and, I can't answer them all, but I'll reveal what I can!

Is there a romance/pairing?

Yes. (It's a triangle, actually)

Are there more Noble Phantasms coming?

Yes, but not that many and not often. When they do, those moments will be suitably epic.

Where is Rin?

I tried to make this one obvious with chapter three's opening, but she's in Malivore, that's why Shirou can't remember her.

How does Shirou know about monsters and myths if he forgot about Rin?

Unlimited Blade Works stores the complete histories and records of countless weapons. Even though the Malivore erased Shirou's memory, it can't affect the weapons within Unlimited Blade Works just like how it can't erase written records of the things within it. After the Malivore erased Shirou's memories, his Reality Marble "reanalyzed" all those weapons to restore the sudden gaps in his knowledge. Shirou has plenty of monster-slaying weapons but he has only _ONE_ weapon related to Rin: her Azoth Dagger. She didn't even really ever use it so her history is barely recorded on it and that's not enough to overpower the Malivore's influence. It may have been different if Shirou still had the Tohsaka family gem, but Luvia melted that down to cast the spell that sent him to Mystic Falls _(I did that on purpose)_.


	4. Chapter 4: Regaining Strength

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Dr. Saltzman asked, eyeing both Shirou and Landon from behind his desk. "I understand the reasoning behind it, but I want to make sure you are willing to take responsibility for Landon's safety. Make no mistake, the students of this school are predatory creatures. If they lose control, you can measure their humanity with a yardstick. Sometimes less."

"I've dealt with worse," Shirou replied like it was a matter of fact. Alaric wanted to disagree, but after watching Shirou trounce the only Tribrid in the entire world, defend against an enraged dragon, and single-handedly slay a gargoyle with nothing but a bow and one arrow, he had no choice but to swallow his apprehension.

"All right, fine. Landon can stay," Dr. Saltzman surrendered. Landon released his held breath. "But you can't take care of him _ALL_ the time. How do you plan on ensuring his safety?"

"I'll drag him around campus, if I have to," Shirou agreed.

"That was metaphorical, right?" Landon piqued.

"No, it was not. When I am not sparring with Hope and Dr. Saltzman, I'll be personally guiding your combat training."

"That's not realistic. Shirou, you can't dedicate your entire life to this one task."

"Can't I?" Shirou asked, blinking in actual confusion. In another future, Shirou dedicated his entire life AND afterlife to the human race, so numerically speaking this was infinitely easier.

"No. You cannot," Dr. Saltzman rubbed his temples to assuage a rising migraine. "Listen, I'll make Landon a tracking amulet that will trigger when he's in danger. But that will only be a reactionary measure. What will you do to _PREVENT_ danger?"

Shirou folded his arms and pondered the question. "Wait, you said the students were predatory creatures, right? Like animals?"

"That is an… insulting comparison but yes, I suppose."

"Does that mean they are more instinctual than humans?"

"Yes. Very much so. Vampires are driven by the feed and the kill. Werewolves are primal beasts. Witches are arguably the most human of the trio. What's your point?"

"Who represents the Vampires and the Werewolves?" Shirou asked.

"Keleb represents the Vampires on the Student Honor Council and Jed represents the Werewolves. Why?"

"You have a combatives pit, right?"

"I _REALLY DON'T_ like where this is-"

"I want a public match with both of them at the same time. They will be free to use whatever weapons or magic they want. If they are as animalistic as you say, they will respect my wishes after I defeat them at full power."

Alaric and Landon both stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Hey man, you don't have to put yourself out like this for me." Landon shook his head. "The amulet is good enough."

"Shirou. They will _KILL_ you. I know you can beat Hope, but even she'd have a hard time against TWO supernatural opponents. I've watched you spar. You're good, really good - one of the best I've ever seen - but this is just too much. Every single time you two fight, you are utterly and completely exhausted after your matches with Hope. You put on a good front, but I can tell you're barely able to keep up with her."

"It's fine, Dr. Saltzman. Really, arrange the match, please. I won't let Landon down." Shirou bowed. Alaric sighed. He read up on Japanese culture ever since he allowed Shirou to stay. He knew how much a bow was worth to his people.

"All right. Raise your head. I'll arrange something. Just promise me I won't regret this."

"I promise."

* * *

"Miss Saltzman?" Shirou opened, stepping in line next to Josette Saltzman as they strolled to their next class. Josette blinked in surprise but straightened her back and flashed a quiet smile at him. Shirou blinked and for a moment, he saw Sakura.

"Yes, Shirou? And it's Josie, remember?" Her voice knocked him out of his reverie. Sakura wasn't that fluent in English, after all.

"Right. I apologize, Jossie. Do you have some time to talk?"

"Oh. Right now? I mean, we have a few minutes before class starts."

"Dr. Saltzman told me you were a Siphoner," Shirou began and Josie's mouth set into a line. She wore a guarded expression. Siphoners were outcasts among the magical community, so she was half-expecting Shirou to throw out an insult as soon as he mentioned her origins. She hastened her pace but Shirou kept in stride. He had much longer legs, she noted, annoyed.

"I need your help if you were willing."

She slowed, turning toward him, suspicion clear across her face. "I can hear you out, at least."

"Thank you, Josie. I was hoping you could use your powers to transfer energy from my body into this gem your father gave me." Shirou drew out a large ruby the size of her palm.

"Is that all?" Josie asked, her misgivings blunted. "I can do it right now, you want."

"Right now? Here? Without any preparation? You don't need an isolation field or a specific set of protections in place?"

"What? No, of course not. It's a simple enough request. I can do it in my sleep. I sometimes do."

Shirou gawked. "Out of all curiosity, what is your efficiency?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"How much energy is lost during the transfer due to factors outside your control?"

"Huh? None. That has never been a problem for me or my sister."

An image of a _woman in red_ tearing her hair out flashed through his mind before it was quickly erased and replaced with an image of Luvia jealously rampaging through her workshop and August desperately trying to calm her down.

"Luvia would _love_ to vivisect you," Shirou mused out loud with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?!"

"Oh, sorry. Nothing. If you could do it right now, that'd be great. I will definitely ask you again in the future if you wouldn't mind. I could do something for you in return," he offered.

Josie raised a brow then eyed Shirou up and down. "I don't mind. I'll think of something to ask. Give me the gem and take my hand."

Shirou did so without complaint. Josie blushed furiously and resisted the urge to lace her fingers around his. Instead, she focused on draining his energy into the gem. A few seconds passed before Shirou was drained.

"That was astoundingly quick. You are amazing, Josie," Shirou complimented, his eyes wide. If he ever returned to his world, we would make sure _NEVER_ to mention siphoners to Luvia. While Luvia had a good heart for a Magus, that kindness was only directed toward people she cared about. She would have no problem coming to this world, kidnapping a bunch of faceless siphoners and doing live experiments on them if it meant bettering her magecraft.

Josie's blush held. She'd never been praised by a stranger for her innate talent. "Thanks, Shirou. You're very sweet."

"Are you craving anything for dinner? I am one of the cooks. I can make something for you as thanks for today. At least until you come up with a task for me down the road."

Josie smiled and told him her favorite dessert. He left soon after.

Penelope Park rounded the corner after the pair parted ways, her brows tucked into her hairline at Josie's lingering glance. Was the lovestruck girl even aware she was staring at Shirou's ass? Penelope wore a devilish smile. "Now this _IS_ interesting…"

* * *

"Wait. I can't run anymore. I really, _REALLY_ can't!" Landon wheezed. He stared up at the starry sky. "Holy crap, the sun's not even out yet! What time is it?!"

"Knowing the time will only distract you from pushing yourself to the fullest. Let's keep pace," Shirou demanded as he looked over his shoulder to glare at Landon. "You're still complaining, which means you still have more than enough stamina to burn through. If you aren't willing to push yourself harder, I'll rescind my decision to train and protect you."

"Wha… What?! You'd abandon me too?! I thought we were-"

"Abandon is the wrong word. More like, if you lack resolve to risk everything to stay here, then you should just give up and live a normal life. Let me ask you this, Landon Kirby, do you think Hope Mikaelson will _EVER_ know true peace?

"What does she have to do-"

"The answer is: no. By virtue of her birth, her life is destined to be one filled with strife and struggle. If you wish to stand beside her during those dark times, then physical exhaustion of this level shouldn't even phase you. Unless you are just skirt-chasing. Then I'll let Hope knock you down a peg, herself."

"... FINE! _FINE!_ Let's keep going!" Landon yelled, jogging past Shirou.

Shirou smiled with closed eyes as he watched Landon drag himself through another lap. "Good man." He followed closely after.

Hope clicked her tongue then picked up her bo staff off the floor. Shirou disarmed her, again. How was this possible? He was actually getting _BETTER_ at reading her than she was at overpowering him. When they first started sparring, he'd barely won. Now she was thrashed at least three times a day. The only times she'd ever win was when he was so worn down from sparring he could barely lift his arms. The worst part of it was, Shirou wasn't getting any faster or stronger. He was already at the near peak of his human body. There was little he could naturally do to improve, physically speaking.

"Okay, I give. What's your secret? Steroids? It's gotta be steroids," Hope growled out.

"Eye of the Mind _(True)_," Shirou answered with a shrug.

"Is that a spell?! No magic! Stop that!" Hope complained, pointing her bo staff accusingly at him.

"Oh. You _WISH_ it was a spell. That way you'd have an excuse. Let's go again."

Hope smiled and lunged forward. Shirou held a similar grin and blocked. Unfortunately for Hope, the more they fight, the less chance she had at winning. Every one of her maneuvers was fuel for his Eye of the Mind. They were additional bits of information that only solidified his path to victory. Every attack, parry, block, and dodge were like pieces of a puzzle that served to paint the fighter that was Hope Mikaelson. With those pieces, Shirou could rearrange them in such a way that guaranteed her loss each and every time.

"Ughn!" Hope grunted when she fell back onto the platform, sprawled. She stared up at the dawning sky then turned to observe Shirou who was leaning heavily on his own staff, barely able to breath properly. At a glance, it was easy to tell she'd win the next match. But these 'pity' victories were a far cry from what she sought.

The sounds of splashing filled her ears and she looked toward the lake to see Landon desperately trying to keep up with Alaric. He was gasping for air whenever his head bobbed above the water, but he still fought on to maintain the pace.

"What is Landon doing up this early?" Hope asked, confused.

"Training. I'll be teaching him combatives for the time being, so I won't be able to spar with you as often. For now, we are going to hone his body. There's no point in teaching him fighting techniques if he can't use them properly."

"... Wait, what was that?!" Hope sat up immediately and pulled herself to her feet. "But you're _MY_ sparring partner!"

"We can still spar, but not as often," Shirou corrected. "Besides, Landon needs me more than you do."

Hope's heart froze. He swallowed a wave of emotions that threatened to spill out and expressed a cavalier attitude, complete with an eye roll. "Oh, yeah, right. Of course, _he_ does," she said, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Yeah, you're right. I'll be just fine on my own!" She turned and walked off. "I'm calling it early this morning. I need to study for the midterms."

Shirou watched her stomp off. She didn't even bother to pick up her staff.

"Was it something I said?"

* * *

"This is so _NOT_ what I needed today," Hope hissed as she, Landon, Lizzie, and MG sprinted through the forest, chasing down a monster straight out of Greek mythology.

"I really hope Dr. Saltzman and Shirou are having better luck," Landon commented, trying to ignore the fact that Hope seemed far more pissed off at him than usual.

"Luck won't help us find a gigantic, man-eating spider," Lizzie scoffed.

"Shirou said-"

"_DON'T_." Hope roared.

"Hey, are you all right?" Landon asked, genuinely concerned. She was almost as angry as she was during their confrontation after he stole the knife. She'd been willing to crush the life out of him then, so having her meltdown in public was a definite no-go. Even Lizzie showed a small measure of concern.

Lizzie's cellphone rang, jarring them. "Hey dad..." she answered, her eyes desperately pleading the rest of them for some advice.

_"Lizzie, where are you? Shirou and I ran into some huge webs. He went ahead."_

"Oh, we are… uh," MG pointed at the abandoned barn. "At the nest, I think."

_"Okay. Just wait for Shirou to get there. And where is Hope?"_

"Sorry dad, you're breaking up real bad. Must be your service provider. You'll just have to trust me!"

Lizzie hung up and turned to the dumbfounded group. "It's hero time." She said with great solemnity. Terrified screams from within the barn spurred them to action. Landon dove in first, a small pitchfork in hand.

"Raf?!" He cried as he caught sight of the spider looming over his friend and Josie. They were trapped in a web beneath the Arachne. "HEY! OVER HERE!" Landon bellowed, slamming his pitchfork into the ground. The monster turned to him and Landon lobbed the fork like a javelin. It hit the creature but failed to penetrate its carapace and clinked to the floor. The monster stalked toward him, its attention focused on him.

"Oh. OH CRAP!" Landon fell onto his back to dodge a leg swipe that would have cut him in half.

"AHHH!" He instinctively raised his arms up to shield face as the Arachne chambered back to decapitate him. When the killing blow never came, he slid one eye open to see it impaled to the ground by a dozen greatswords. It twitched and a final one slammed into its skull from thin air.

He scrambled to his feet and reached for one of the weapons in a flash of morbid curiosity. But the moment his fingers brushed against cold steel, the swords shattered into motes of light, leaving no trace save for the gouges in the floor and the holes in the now-dead monster.

"Landon! Landon!" Rafael called out. "Are you all right?!"

"Yeah, I'm fine!"

Hope and the rest finally caught up, Lizzie stepped forward, eager to chew Landon out when she noticed the monster's corpse at his feet.

"Oh well done, lover boy. That was very alpha-male of you," Lizzie smirked and knowingly nudged Hope in the arm. She rolled her eyes. Lizzie looked up to see Josie and Rafael encased in webbing and screeched. "OH GOD! JOSIE!" Landon's bravery forgotten, she and Hope ran up to burn the webs off their friends.

Shirou watched the group rescue Josie, Rafael, and the missing Mystic Falls High School students from his perch on a tree branch overlooking the area. In one hand, he held a red ruby that was now devoid of light.

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis here with another update! Oh Shirou, didn't you learn that you know the road to hell is paved with good intentions?

I want to thank everyone who took their time to leave a review! I do appreciate it, and no words can express how much.

Because so many people seem interested, I'll be opting for shorter chapters so I can provide you all with more to read, as opposed to releasing sporadic large ones.


	5. Chapter 5: Under the Moonlight Pt1

"There, all done," Josie said as she released his hand and returned the gem. She and Shirou were alone as they tended to be during their morning break period. She'd spend a large portion of the break Siphoning him, ensuring to take as much time as she could to do so. When Shirou asked why she was so fast the first time, she lied about how she'd discovered that she _DID_ lose energy if she Siphoned too quickly. For some reason, Shirou readily believed her, as if such an outcome was expected, and easily acquiesced to spending their break period together on a daily basis.

"Could you help me set up some decorations for tomorrow?" She asked. Normally, they'd talk about magical theory for a while before break ended. "It's for my sixteenth birthday. Mine and Lizzies. We're twins," she hastily added and needlessly re-explained. She blushed.

Shirou smiled and nodded. "Sure. Sixteenth birthdays are a big event in America, right? It must be tough to set up your own party. I'll gladly do what I can."

"You're so sweet, Shirou," she preened and took him by the wrist to lead him down the hall and into the school ballroom, which was closed off until the party. To her surprise, she found Hope and MG dancing in silence.

"Are we interrupting something?" Josie asked, throwing a complicated look at MG. He was supposed to be Lizzie's date, but he was dancing with Hope?

"No, no, noooo!" MG spoke first while Hope's gaze remained locked on Josie's hand and Shirou's wrist. Out of reflex, Josie immediately pulled her own hand back like she'd touched a hot stove, snapping Hope out of her daze. "Tell 'em, Hope!" MG pleaded.

"Yeah, I was just… teaching MG how to escort Lizzie and dance for the party! He's got a big night tomorrow!" Hope recovered. "What about… you two?"

Shirou opened his mouth.

"Shirou was kind enough to help me prepare for the dance. Do you two mind? We could use some space. _Alone._"

Shirou shut his mouth.

"Uh-huh! We'll get out of your hair! Right, Hope?" MG was already pulling her out the door. She shot Shirou a glare reminiscent of the one she wore the night he broke her nose.

After the pair left, Shirou and Josie got to work. To Shirou's slight annoyance, Josie insisted on staying very close even though some decorations should have only required one person to hang.

"So," Josie began, swallowing hard. "It's my sixteenth birthday tomorrow."

"Yes, I know."

"Right. I told you already. Well, I… uh. You see, Lizzie has MG as an escort so, I need one too! To keep up the twin appearance thing!"

Shirou did not have the greatest grasp on the minute parts of American culture and the _'Sweet Sixteen'_ birthday tradition, so he nodded along then hung up another star.

"Right, so we _HAVE_ to match. As much as possible. And if she has an escort, I need an escort. But it can't just be _ANY_ escort… and since you and MG have matching skin colors..."

"Sure, Josie, I can be your escort."

"I'd totally understand if you were- What?"

"I said, I can be your escort to your birthday party."

"Oh… ah. Great! That's great! Absolutely _GREAT_!"

"But I would need lessons," he warned, unsure. "I've never gone to a Sweet Sixteen before. I know a few formal European ballroom dances, though."

"Oh. I'll teach you! We can start right now! Let's start right now!"

"Don't you have class in three minutes?"

"My father's the headmaster."

* * *

"You asked _Shirou Emiya_ out to your Sweet Sixteen? Mister tall, dark, and mysterious? The polite but anti-social bookworm with no friends? _That_ Shirou Emiya?" Hope blinked while asking for clarification, her world started spinning.

"And he said _YES!_" Josie exclaimed, pulling Lizzie into a bear hug. The blonde smiled but gauged her date in comparison to her twin's. Shirou was much, _MUCH_ hotter, but since MG was going with _THE_ Elizabeth Saltzman, MG won by default.

"And he said _YES?!_" Hope's world froze and spun in the opposite direction.

"Why are you mimicking me?"

"Oh. No reason. I just need a minute to process this," Hope held a hand to her forehead and massaged her temples. "So have you two been going out? He's only been here for, like what, three weeks?"

"We haven't been dating, but we've spent our morning break periods studying together and he cooks me dinner sometimes. He eats alone after cleaning the cafeteria, so I join him if I can finish my homework early," Josie blushed. She was working on next semester's term paper even while they spoke.

Meanwhile, Hope was rendered nearly comatose.

"Earth to Mikaelson," Lizzie said, snapping her fingers in her face.

Hope shook her head. "You know he's like 26, right?" She managed, "That's a really big age gap. Your dad would never approve. It's not even legal."

"It'll be fine tomorrow morning. The age of consent in Japan is 16 on average."

_"WE AREN'T IN JAPAN."_

"But maybe in the future…" Josie trailed off.

* * *

"_So_… you and Josie, huh?" Landon asked from across the lunch table. Rafael slid next to Shirou, pinching him between own his body and the wall to preventing the Faker from escaping. They both wore shit-eating grins.

"I'm sorry?" Shirou tried, unable to follow. He put down his book on basic Witchcraft theory.

"You are taking Josette Saltzman out to her Sweet Sixteen. It's the talk of the school," Rafael explained. "I'd avoid Dr. Saltzman, but he's been cooped up in his office for the last day or so, so you're safe for now."

"Oh, okay. Thank you for the warning, I guess? And yes, I am. Is there a problem?"

"Oh, no problem from me. I'm really open-minded about the age difference. But Hope _might_ rip your throat out with her teeth tomorrow," Rafael commented off-handedly. He noticed Landon's glare and smiled. "On the other hand, Hope still doesn't have a date, _so..._"

That got Landon's attention. "I gotta go. Good talk, Shirou!" He bolted out the cafeteria.

Rafael laughed and Shirou raised a brow at Landon's massive increase in speed.

_'Looks like all that physical training is starting to pay off.'_

* * *

"I'm sorry Doctor, I have no idea what she is," Shirou said, helpless. He disliked how useless he felt. "This sort of thing is not my forte. I could… deal with it for you, if you can't."

"No, it's fine. Thanks anyway, Shirou," Dr. Saltzman said as he turned back to address his newly revived fiance, Josette Laughlin. "I'll take it from here. Can you leave, please?"

Shirou hesitated, leveling a wary gaze at Josette.

"Shirou, please leave."

He exhaled through his nose and departed from the headmaster's office, his mind working in overdrive, trying to think of what monsters could raise people from the dead in such a nearly perfect state. Because he was cycling through his Reality Marble, he failed to notice Penelope Park _'accidentally'_ run into him.

"Ooof! Oh, watch where you're going, big guy!" Penelope's hand lingered on Shirou's chest, her fingers tracing his well-toned muscles through his shirt. "Ooooh. I can't even imagine how much beef is on this cow," she purred.

"Can I help you?" Shirou asked, snatching the girl's wrist with surprising speed and firmness. When she tried to pull away, Shirou released her arm without issue.

"Oh yes, lover boy. I just wanted to get to know the mysterious 'Shirou Emiya' for myself. I'm Penelope Park, Josie's ex." She searched for a reaction and found none.

Shirou nodded, "you already know, but I'm Shirou Emiya."

"Oh, I know all about you, Shirou. And that scares me because I know almost _NOTHING_," her flirtatious attitude vanished. There was a dangerous charge of magical energy in the air surrounding her and Shirou brought his own Magic Circuits to life. "I've been watching you. Studying you. There is no Fuyuki City, Japan. There is no Shirou Emiya. I don't know what you are planning, but if you hurt Josette, _I will kill you_."

"Now _this_ is a familiar change of pace," Shirou smirked, brushing off her death threat with an ease that visibly shocked her. This exchange reminded him of the many confrontations he had with Magi while he studied in the Clocktower. "I've told the other students my real name, but my false identity lists me as from Hokkaido. I've never mentioned Fuyuki City to anyone but those in Dr. Saltzman's closest circle. _How did you learn that name?_"

Shirou squared his shoulders toward Penelope and released a suffocating amount of killing intent. Penelope's brain froze as images of being impaled by countless swords of an infinite variety filled her mind and wouldn't go away. Sweat poured down her brow and her breath hitched in her throat.

_'He needs to maintain his cover, so he wouldn't kill me in public, right?'_ she reasoned her mind racing. Shirou took a step forward. Penelope took a step back. Shirou was about to take another step when she turned away and bolted.

Shirou relaxed then made his way toward the kitchen. He couldn't afford to be late for the dinner rush.

* * *

"Get up, Landon. You've rested enough," Shirou ordered, twirling his staff while Landon lay face down on the ground. It was almost dawn now, which meant they were almost done.

"Is there a point to this, anymore? She turned me down, man," Landon complained as he pulled himself off the ground.

"Of course there is. Was Hope Mikaelson the only reason you wanted to stay?"

"No, Raf's here too, but-"

Shirou struck low with his staff and swept Landon off his feet. He landed with a graceless and painful thud. "Then stand up and fight. The rule remains the same even if your circumstances have changed. If you won't push yourself, I will not train you. You know where the exit is."

Landon snarled and snatched his staff. "This is all _YOUR_ fault!" He struck out wildly, using his bo staff like a baseball bat. Shirou sidestepped and blocked his blows with infuriating ease. "You're so fucking blind, I can't believe it!" He swung and swung. Not a single one of his attacks came close to landing.

"_Focus,_ Landon," Shirou slugged him in the face with his bo staff using a simple parry and counter routine. To his surprise, Landon shrugged off the blow and closed the distance again.

"And you can't even tell, can you?! Even when she's standing right in front of you, every damn day! Wearing that beautifully blinding smile! You must have the emotional spectrum of a tree stump!"

_'A sword would have been a better comparison,'_ Shirou thought then spun and back-kicked Landon to the ground. He appeared nonplussed and laughed ruefully between gasps for air. He dragged himself up in a fit.

"It's like some kind of cosmic joke! If it weren't happening to me, I'd laugh for days! _I'm actually caught in a love triangle!_"

"What are you talking about?" Shirou finally asked. Today's session was a failure. If it continued, Landon would ingrain terrible habits that might take weeks to retrain. Since his focus was so mired, it would be better to call it quits.

"Hope! I'm talking about Hope! Holy shit! You actually need me to spell it out! I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS! _She is in love with you, Shirou!_"

Shirou blinked. "What?"

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis with another update! Thanks again for all the kind words! I'll do my best to answer some questions that the reviewers have left.

Suzululu asked if Rin ever upgraded any of Shirou's weapons. The answer is yes, a few Mystic Codes were made by her, but all of them together still cannot overpower a creature capable of altering the collective consciousness of every living being on the planet. The Malivore's influence is just that strong.

Kayen asked about the love triangle. I've included your answer in this chapter!

Kayen also asks how Shirou stacks up compared to the other supernatural creatures. He ranks pretty high, actually. He's able to keep up with Hope using just his human body and his Eye of the Mind (True) Personal Skill. If he were to apply Reinforcement, he'd easily overpower her as well.


	6. Chapter 6: Under the Moonlight pt2

"We need to talk," Penelope declared the moment Josie opened her bedroom door. Her eyes were bloodshot - it was clear she hadn't slept. Lizzie was about to come over and slam it shut when she set her palm against the door, making her pause. "No, bitch-mode off for once. It's about your new boyfriend-to-be," Penelope insisted taking Lizzie's hesitation as an unsaid invitation.

"Shirou? What about him?" Josie asked, her voice laced with a measure of fear. Did Penelope really intend on sabotaging her budding romance on the morning of her birthday?

"I confronted him about his obviously dubious origins. The guy is in his mid-twenties and is attending a high school. That's weird, even for this place. When we spoke last night, he tried to kill me."

Lizzie and Josie both shot her deadpan glares, arms folded.

"I am serious."

"No, you're lying! Shirou wouldn't do that!" Josie defended. "Why are you always doing this?!"

"Josie, listen to me, please! He's dangerous! Let's at least talk to your father about him. He's part of their inner circle!" Penelope pleaded. Josie's eyes widened, she recognized the sincerity in Penelope's eyes. It was a very rare sight. Even Lizzie was taken aback.

"All right, bitch," Lizzie spoke up, stepping between Penelope and Josie, "we'll all go and speak to my dad. But if you're wrong, you leave us alone. For good."

"Deal."

* * *

Hope pushed around her breakfast, rolling a fat grape back and forth with her fork. Her gaze was listless as her mind drifted. Landon's confession rocked her world and her heart ached in a way she hadn't thought possible. A part of her wanted to say yes just so she wouldn't feel so alone, but her denial came out of reflex. She was afraid of opening herself up to him again. No, that wasn't entirely true. It wasn't _just_ about Landon.

Shirou quickly filled her thoughts. It was so easy to be around him; so simple. But what mattered most was how she didn't have to be scared or timid around him. She could be herself and he wouldn't show an ounce of fear. Those steely grey eyes never wavered. He was someone who was ostracized from the rest and failed to truly fit in no matter how hard he tried. But she always assumed he'd stand by her side - that he'd always sit next to her every morning before dawn and together they'd watch the sunrise over the lake. He didn't speak much, but he always listened and provided a smile or a smirk. He was a kindred spirit.

And one day, he wasn't there. She woke up, went to their normal meeting place in the morning, and he was gone - off training with Landon. But that was fine. She was accustomed to being alone. It didn't hurt that much and he'd still spend time with her before she had to get ready for classes. That was enough.

But then he was pulled even further away. Shirou was no longer free during their morning break periods because he was hanging out with Josie. They'd even spend time together after dinner. Josie claimed a piece of Shirou's life that Hope had no idea existed. Even though she knew Shirou wouldn't mean to hurt her, to her it felt like she was being left adrift and that was like a knife through her heart.

She was afraid of losing the rest of him now; that he'd leave her like so many others. Already, she could see his back vanishing over the horizon, never to return. His eyes focused on some far off destination that she could never reach.

Hope finally realized how much it truly pained her to watch him slowly walk away. But no matter how hard she tried to push, the doors on her heart wouldn't close.

"Hope?" Rafael asked, drawing her out of her stupor. "You good? The cafeteria is about to close for the morning."

"Oh, right. That's what I get for playing with my food," she shrugged, her voice aloof, and made to leave.

"Wait, Hope," he waved her back down and inwardly sighed when she did so. "I wanted to get something off my chest: you _need_ to shoot your shot with Shirou."

Hope swallowed, a myriad of emotions flashing across her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Look, don't try to deny it. The reason you turned Landon down was because of Shirou. It's obvious."

"Aren't you Landon's best friend? Why are you pushing Shirou and I together?" She asked with a stiff smile, hiding her own inner turmoil behind a veil of sarcasm.

"Because Landon is _still_ head-over-heels for you, but he's got no chance if you can't get Shirou out of your mind. So take your shot. If it doesn't work out, then at least you can say you tried. Because this lack of closure is eating you alive."

"...It's Josie's _birthday_. I can't ruin like this," she shook her head.

"Talk to him after the party, then. Don't make excuses, Hope," Rafael firmly demanded. Hope stood and left, unwilling to hear any more. She didn't want to risk being denied. This distant friendship she had with Shirou was enough for her.

It had to be.

* * *

"You three need to leave, _now_," Dr. Saltzman ordered as Penelope, Lizzie, and Josie all stared at the resurrected Josette Laughlin. Even then, his voice was hoarse and weak. It lacked the authoritative tone to make the trio obey.

Lizzie and Josie moved forward to speak with their biological mother and Penelope took the opportunity to occupy Dr. Saltzman's attention.

"Dr. Saltzman, Shirou's from _Fuyuki City, Japan_, right?" Penelope prodded while Alaric was half-focused on his daughters. The sight of them speaking with their mother was something out of a fairy tale and he was afraid he'd never get to see such a scene play out ever again.

"Ah, yeah, he is," Dr. Saltzman replied candidly. But then his eyes widened as Penelope's narrowed.

"I told you your father was lying about him," Penelope announced. The twins' attention turned toward him. "Shirou Emiya threatened to kill me last night, Dr. Saltzman. He's dangerous. And you are letting him escort your daughter?"

"He threatened you? Wait, escort my daughter?" Dr. Saltzman shook his head. Ever since Josette returned from the dead, his brain had been scrambled and he failed to keep up with the world outside his office.

"Yes. You need to deal with him before he hurts someone. It's not fair to your daughters that Hope's the only one who really understands what's happening."

"Dad, is this true? What's going on?" Josie spoke up, worried and confused. Lizzie also shot him an accusing glare. The worst of it all was his ex-fiance looked equal parts concerned and infuriated. Alaric sighed helplessly.

"I'll explain everything, just give me a bit of time."

* * *

_Thud. Thud. Thud._ Three arrows. Three bullseyes. His eyes never wavered. His form never faltered. To Shirou Emiya, archery was never about hitting the target - it was about visualizing his success. It was a meditative exercise meant to hone his mind and shaped his Tracing. For him, it was akin to breathing, so he never felt any pride for his skills, so he simply nodded when Hope lightly clapped.

"I thought I'd find you here," Hope tried, stepping out onto the range. She found a surprisingly clean chair nearby and sat a few feet behind him. The entire area was spotless, now that she paid more attention. This must have been Shirou's personal space. She knew he took a liking to it when she caught him working out here the first morning they trained together, but not to this extent. "Do you mind if I watch?"

"No, feel free," Shirou answered then returned to his shooting. Hope swallowed hard. She'd seen this before in her dreams of a man with grey hair turning his back toward her and disappearing over the horizon without a second glance. Her heart caught in her throat. This was fine. If he was going to leave anyway, then she should just let him go.

_Thud. Thud. Thud._ Her heart hammered in time with three arrows.

"...Do you like Josie?" She found herself asking before she could stop.

"Yes. She reminds me of an old friend," Shirou said after another shot. Josie was akin to Sakura - someone who sacrificed everything for the smallest bit of happiness. Sakura and Josie were two individuals who gave up so much and received so little in return. "I wanted to give Josette something to smile about on her birthday, so I volunteered to be her escort."

"Well, you made her very happy. You should have seen her yesterday, she was on cloud nine," Hope confirmed with a brittle smile and Shirou nocked another arrow. "Do you have any… plans with her after the party?"

"No," Shirou answered. "It's better for her if she doesn't get too close to me. A distant friendship would keep her from getting hurt." There was a lengthy pause. "I don't plan on staying here for very long."

Hope's breath hitched. To hear him confirm her own thoughts should have alleviated the pain, but it just made her want to vomit. "I always had a feeling that was the case." Her tears welled. "I'll be going to the party alone, but I'd like you to save me a dance," she managed and stood to leave. She was already halfway off the range when he finally answered.

"Sure. But Hope," Shirou lowered his bow and turned toward her. "That dance is as close as we'll ever get."

She hugged herself, unable to face Shirou's steely eyes. If she turned around now, she was afraid she'd break under their unyielding stare. "... I know," she whispered.

* * *

"How are you doing?" Lizzie asked after she turned to face her twin, who had just finished helping her dress. "You're not even dressed, yet."

Josie looked away and dropped her phone. She had just texted Shirou that she didn't want him to escort her or to ever see him again. How could she reconcile the man her father described with the gentle soul she spent her mornings with? They were like two different people. She didn't know which one was the _real_ Shirou Emiya. And even if she did, when she turned 22...

"I'm not going," Josie finally answered.

"What? No! You _have_ to come!" Lizzie pulled her into a hug. "I… I can't do this without you!" She was on the verge of tears. They both were. Only after he was forced into a corner did their father explain everything about Shirou. More prompts from their biological mother made him reveal the Merge as well.

They joined foreheads, tears starting to trail down their cheeks. They both wore delicate smiles. "Happy birthday," they both said in unison. A knock on their bedroom door jarred them out of the tender, vulnerable moment. Lizzie wiped her face to reapply her makeup while Josie went for the door. MG stood with a handful of roses, a bright smile plastered across his face.

"Good evening birthday girls-" MG stopped, eyes wide at Josie's distraught expression. In a flash, he hid the bouquet of flowers behind his back."I can come back later." He was about to vanish at vampire speed when Lizzie called out.

"No, no! I'm ready!" She made for the door and MG beamed a smile, offering her the flowers and his arm in a gentlemanly fashion. "I'll see you there, right? It's not a Saltzman twin party without the twin part."

"... Yeah. I'll be down in five," Josie managed and watched the two walk off. Penelope stood by in the hallway.

"Still need an escort?" She asked.

Josie wore a desperate smile, tears flowing freely. Penelope's heart broke. "Meet me at the party, yeah?"

"I wouldn't miss it for the world."

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis here with another update! I really wanted to explore the good AND bad of having someone like Shirou inserted into the Legacies plotline. Sure he is brave, heroic, and extremely kind. But he also has all the tact of a flaming dumpster fire and the literal emotional sensitivity of a sword. Rin Tohsaka is one hell of a patient, thick-skinned woman, TBH.

There are a lot of moving parts here, so I am splitting this little mini-arc into multiple pieces. I'm unsure if I will split it into four or three pieces since the pacing is extremely important to maintain the drama. It's time to answer some reviewer questions:

Kvothe voiced concerns about romance progression.

The lack of development might have been my fault since I was skimming over whole weeks. That was a writing flaw and I will try to flesh out the character's interactions with each other to give the readers more context. Sometimes I forget you all can't see my storyboards or all the story beats unless I specifically write them out.

Kvothe also asks how Shirou circumvented the problems around his Tracing. Alaric gave him a jewel that functions as a Talisman of Enchantment. In the Vampire Diaries, these enchantments are virtually permanent, so Alaric pretty much provided him with an empty battery he just needs to fill. Josie serves as the medium to transfer Shirou's energy into the gem for future use. Note that Shirou doesn't actually destroy the gem when he uses it as Rin does, he just takes magical energy out of it to Trace with. Rin only destroys the gems she uses in UBW because she needs to unleash all that stored out in a single spell just to keep up with Caster. Shirou isn't that pressed. And Alaric is more than capable of providing expensive Talismans to Shirou AND the students. The boarding school is RICH.

Paolotej and crashclown have asked about Shirou's age: He is 19 years old during the F/UBW Epilogue episode and is 26 during Fate/Legacies.


	7. Chapter 7: Lady in Red pt1

"Do you know how to braid?" Josie softly asked as she broke into her father's office where her biological mother sat alone. Her voice quibbled and her eyes were red-rimmed. She held up a hand mirror and a hairbrush, desperation plastered across her face. Her mother's heart broke and she invited Josie in with a nod, her own share of tears streaming down her face.

"Of course, Josie," she replied and gently led her to the couch. She started with the brush to remove any tangled strands. Her touch was warm, gentle, and oh-so motherly. Josie bit her lip to keep from falling apart. "This is a beautiful Talisman," her mother said, trying to break the silence. Josie smiled and nodded.

"Hope gave it to me this morning," Josie explained. She couldn't help but relish under her mother's care. To have her braid her hair for her Sweet Sixteen was a dream come true. "Today has been a… rollercoaster of emotions," she couldn't help but chuckle. "Between Shirou, Penelope, and The Merge, I…"

Josette pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "You are so strong - both of you are. Don't give up yet. Your dad and Caroline are doing everything they can to find a Loophole. There's _ALWAYS_ a Loophole in magic. They just have to find it and they will, I promise."

Josie fought back the tears. Her makeup would run if she started to weep now. "Do you… do you want to come with me?"

* * *

Shirou stood on the third story balcony overlooking the school grounds. He leaned heavily on the railing, mindlessly gazing into the horizon. The sky was clear and the stars were out in full. Dulled music filled the air around him and the excited cheers as Lizzie and MG danced at the center of their party brought a smile to his face. Although he didn't see the value in it, he could be happy for other people. His only real concern was Josie, who had, for all intents and purposes, dumped him on the stairs. From what Shirou could remember, he had never been stood up on a date, so this was a novel experience.

"Shirou?" Called a familiar voice from behind. He earnestly considered not addressing her. This infatuation she held for him was unhealthy. Shirou Emiya could never give Hope Mikaelson the love she wanted or wholeheartedly deserved. It was obvious her life was full of heartache and he would only contribute to it when he inevitably left to pursue his own destiny. Their paths had crossed this once and would not again - if he needed to, he would break her heart now so she could find someone capable of truly loving her in the way she wanted.

He turned around and **_angry static_** filled his vision.

Images of a **_woman in red_** flooded his mind, only to be violently erased. There was something happening to him - a profound sense of loss that Shirou could not explain. He felt his Reality Marble kick into overdrive as it cycled through its infinite library of armaments in an attempt to fill the gap. Wisps of memories and outlines of a familiar face superimposed itself over Hope's as she stepped forward with an appreciative smile.

"You clean up nicely, Shirou," Hope complimented with a wry smile and closed the distance to take her promised dance. She reached for his suit to straighten it, her admiration for his transformation clear; it was like Shirou matured almost five years just from a small change in his hairstyle and dress color. His hair was pulled back, giving him a much sharper look and made his eyes even more attractive than they usually were. His suit was all black and she couldn't help but think a splash of red would have perfected his ensemble. They would have been a picturesque couple because she wore a dark red dress for the evening, one similar in design to the dress her father gifted to Caroline.

"What do you think of mine?" She asked, her cavalier tone helping to mask her nervousness. Shirou's eyes were wide and his face was pale as if he'd just seen a ghost. Hope smirked. "Speechless?" They were so close now and she briefly entertained the fantasy of pulling him down by his tie and drawing him into a surprise kiss. "Shirou?" She tried once more. She was flattered by his stare, but having him gawk was starting to make her blush.

Her heart fluttered when Shirou wordlessly placed one hand on her waist to draw her in for their dance. Hope didn't resist as a new, slow song echoed from downstairs. But when she reached up to join one hand with his, he caught her wrist and leaned forward. Her heart jumped into her throat as she could feel his breath across her face.

She closed her eyes and leaned in as Shirou swept her into a passionate kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, unwilling to let go. She could feel a shocking amount of desire and desperation in each of Shirou's actions but she didn't fight against it and pressed even closer. She could feel his heart hammering against his chest just like hers.

"...Shirou," she managed between feverish gasps for air. Why had he said all those things earlier if this was what he planned on doing? A part of her wanted to break off the kiss - that this entire scenario was somehow wrong, but the rest of her was hopelessly enraptured by his unexpected display of passion.

_'...Rin,'_ Shirou thought for a moment before the memories were gone again, burned out of his mind. When their lips finally did part, they were both stunned into silence. Hope wore a dizzy smile while Shirou's was laden with confusion. As the next song began, Hope took the initiative and pulled him into a second kiss. He was so shell shocked by his actions and confused by the constant waves of desire, love, and loss that he didn't resist. Shirou's mind raced even as he surrendered to Hope's touch.

_'Why did I do that?'_

* * *

Dr. Saltzman and Penelope Park scoured the school grounds for any sign of Josie. After Alaric was threatened by his ex-fiance into trading the knife for his daughter's safety, Alaric had called upon the only person he could find since Dorian and Emma took the knife away two days ago as a precautionary measure.

"We need more people! She'll suffocate at this rate!" Penelope panicked. Alaric wore a grim expression as he dug faster only to unearth a rotting arm reaching for his shovel. "Are you shitting me?! Zombies?!" She howled.

Penelope used her own shovel to bludgeon the rising head into a gore-caked mess, freeing Alaric's shovel. A few moments later and they were surrounded by more shambling corpses. She screamed in fear and frustration. They didn't have time to waste playing around here! She held up her shovel like a mace and recklessly charged through the horde. Alaric was already in the thick of the mob, blinded by his zeal, his own makeshift weapon knocking back and impaling zombies left and right.

Before they were overwhelmed, dozens of arrows fell out of the sky and peppered through their attacker's skulls, bringing them down in a heartbeat. The sudden silence was deafening.

"Where did these arrows come from?!" Alaric exclaimed as he reached for one only to have it disintegrate into motes of light at the slightest touch. He was at his limit for the random and inexplicable.

"Dr. Saltzman! What's going on?!" Hope demanded as she stomped through the treeline in a bloodstained, dark red dress holding a long, gore-covered rapier-like sword in one hand. Even at this distance, Penelope could tell it was an enchanted weapon. Where did she pull that one out of? Her dress?!

"Hope! Thank god! Zombies have buried Josie alive somewhere in the cemetery, can you track her?" Dr. Saltzman begged. "What are you even doing here?!"

"Shirou noticed something was happening from the third story balcony and told me to check it out," Hope explained. Alaric blinked. It was almost pitch black and Shirou could see them through the treeline that partitioned the cemetery from the school? Alaric shook his head, he'd take any miracles he could get at this point.

"Is he coming?" Penelope pleaded, desperate for any help, even if it came from Shirou.

"No, he's providing ranged support. He has a better vantage point from the balcony. He told me he'd cover us so long as we remained within 3 miles of the school."

"... That's insane!" Alaric realized. The world record for a confirmed kill with a sniper rifle was roughly 2.1 miles - and even then it was said to be a near-miss. Shirou Emiya could manage to outdo that record with a bow and arrow?! Penelope wore a similar expression of fear and confusion, although hers stemmed from the notion that Shirou could kill her right now and she wouldn't even see him.

"Be quiet!" Hope shrugged off the questions, her eyes shut tightly as she filtered out any unnecessary senses. "Found her!" She ran so fast her whole body blurred, leaving Alaric and Penelope to trail behind. All the while, zombies fell around her, pelted by a storm of arrows.

One zombie managed to get in front of her but she swung with a simple head-to-toe, overhead slash and cleaved it clear in half with Shirou's Black Key. The weapon shattered afterward and she dropped the useless hilt as it disintegrated in her hands. Once she arrived at a freshly dug grave, Hope began to use her bare hands to dig while an arrow periodically flew overhead. Suddenly Josie's hand burst out of the dirt, sighing in relief, Hope dragged her out with her superhuman strength and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh god! Josie!" Alaric and Penelope finally arrived. Dr. Saltzman fell to his knees next to his daughter and joined them in their embrace.

"How did you find me?" She gasped, her throat full of dirt.

"The Talisman," Hope explained. Josie looked down at her chest where the necklace lay between her breasts. "It makes quiet things heard."

Penelope dropped her shovel and stared up into the sky, wearing a relieved smile.

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis with another update! I have to admit, I've been visualizing the scene between Shirou and Hope since the planning phases of this fanfiction. It honestly came to me in a dream and I pieced the first half of this story based on that image of Shirou making out with Hope thinking she was Rin. I tried to convey the scene as best I could, but if it was difficult to follow or understand what was happening, this is your explanation.

Hope was dressed in a similar fashion and color scheme as Rin. They have the same skin color, eye color, and even their heights only differ by one two or three centimeters. The only marked difference is the sound of their voices and their hair color. When Hope arrived on the balcony, the few vestiges Shirou could still remember of Rin coalesced and superimposed themselves over Hope, creating a 'shadow' that Shirou instinctively kissed.

How does that make this drama even worse? Oh man, you can IMAGINE how confused Shirou must feel. He went in with the full intent of ending Hope's budding infatuation with him. And Hope's false sense of fulfillment will all come to a head someday. It's going to be a trainwreck and I'm going to try my best to make it one hell of a great one!

Now it's time to answer some questions!

Demonraily asks about Shirou "taking care of" Alaric's resurrected wife. Sorry if that was difficult to understand. I was implying Shirou would destroy the zombie for Alaric if he didn't have the stomach to do so.

98Kazer asks if we'll ever see Rin again. You just saw her! Well a shadowed memory of her. Will she ACTUALLY appear? You'll have to wait and see!

Aesier19 asks if Shirou has any compatibility with the Legacies' magical system. The answer is yes, potentially. But it would require him to submit himself to Nature and its Laws of Balance, which Shirou most likely won't do because he promised Archer at the beginning of this story that he wouldn't sell his life or afterlife simply for the sake of gaining more power to attain his ideals.

Kayen1024 asks how does Shirou having more mana resolve the issues he has with his Tracing. It doesn't. It just provides him more mana to use. His Tracings are still unstable, but at least he can spam them somewhat with the talisman on hand.

Qrow454 asks if Shirou can try to track the necromancer with his nose. Yes and no. If he was close enough, sure. But after a certain distance, the trail will go cold. Shirou isn't ACTUALLY a magical bloodhound, that was just a hyperbolic comparison made in the VN in my opinion.

As someone who wants to improve their writing skills, I would love some feedback about how this arc is playing out and especially if the scene with Shirou and Hope on the balcony was romantic, fluid, and easy to understand. I built up a lot toward that scene and wanted to see if it paid off for the readers as much as I hope it did. If anyone was curious, I wrote it while listening to Ocean of Memories by Fukasawa Hideyuki in F/UBW. In other words, it was the background music that played when Rin and Shirou made their mana pact.


	8. Chapter 8: Under the Moonlight pt3

"Do you have any idea who he is?" Hope prodded as she and Shirou stood outside a cell holding a being known as the Necromancer. The Faker cycled through his Reality Marble but came up short. Dr. Saltzman was busy trying to console his daughters after he had them Siphon away the magic keeping their biological mother alive. Dorian and Emma were out patrolling the school grounds for any remaining zombies. That left the two of them to deal with the enigmatic, showboating Witch.

"I know of necromancers, but no one by the name of THE Necromancer," Shirou finally answered as he opened his eyes. "The Malivore does erase the living memory of anything it devours, so it's honestly no surprise."

"WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE! I AM WORLD RENOWN! PEOPLE TREMBLE AT THE MERE SOUND OF MY NAME!"

Hope raised a brow. "Well, you're a footnote in nerd culture now, so you're going to have to deal with a demotion."

"Do children have no ounce of respect for their elders nowadays?" The Necromancer mourned theatrically.

"This is going nowhere slowly," Shirou said and stepped toward the cell bars. "Where were you suppose to take the knife?"

"Boy, I have no reason to answer you, but I will ask a question: what are you? You are clearly not human."

Hope's other brow joined its sister. "What is he talking about?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Shirou blinked, equally confused.

"Oh, it's simple really. Whether by choice, circumstance, or bad luck, the living are always watched over by the dead. The little girl here is practically haunted by her dad," the Necromancer motioned idly at Hope as she recoiled in shock and horror, "but you have literally no one clinging to you. Not even the faintest vestige."

"But I was orphaned after my entire family was killed in a city-wide fire when I was a child," Shirou stated as a matter-of-fact. Hope was floored by revelation and the sheer amount of detachment he held to an event that should have traumatized him. She was also an orphan, but even she couldn't manage that level of objectivity when talking about her past to a total stranger.

"How curiously contradictory! I can tell you aren't lying," the Necromancer eyed Shirou up and down like he was observing some kind of lab rat run through an experimental maze. "Regardless, I have no idea. All I know is that once I obtain the knife, it will guide me to freedom!"

Shirou and Hope shot each other a glance then shrugged and walked away. "We'll be back," Hope called over her shoulder as they left the dungeons.

"You still owe me that dance," Hope reminded as she slung an arm around Shirou's. She pulled him along toward the ballroom, which was nearly devoid of people save a few quiet couples still caught in their own romantic worlds. Since Shirou did promise her, he had no real choice but to comply. Fortunately for him, the dance was simple - Luvia would have wept at the barbarism and overall lack of refinement or nobility. All they did was hold each other and gently sway in time to soft and slow music.

"Hope," Shirou began, unsure of how to proceed. "What happened on the balcony… that was on the spur of the moment. I was confused, nostalgic. I'm not sure why I imposed on you like that."

"You know, it was the first time I've seen you so vulnerable. Shirou Emiya always has an answer for every situation, but for one single moment, I finally caught you off-guard," Hope whispered, her head resting against his chest. "You don't have to deny it. I won't let you. What I felt then, what I feel now, it's real and I don't want to let it go."

"Hope, I can't give you what you want. I don't even belong here. This isn't my world," Shirou pleaded.

"Of course you belong here," Hope disagreed, looking up at him, her face laced with confusion. "You're a Witch. I've seen it first hand."

"Hope, I've lied to you this entire time. I've survived in you and your friend's good graces through copious amounts of half-truths. It doesn't take a mindreader to see through my words."

"I know. And a part of me hates you for it. But I want to know the truth. I can keep a secret."

This was his chance, Shirou realized. The truth would set her free from her attachment to him. Once the dance ended, he led her out into an isolated part of the courtyard after they fetched one of the truth-telling orbs from Dr. Saltzman's desk. The clearing was illuminated solely by moonlight. He released her arm and took a few steps away from her. He held the orb in plain view.

"Ask me what you want to know," Shirou said, eyes closed.

"Who are you?" Hope began, subconsciously swallowing her fear. For some reason, she was afraid. Shirou had never looked so solemn.

"My name is Shirou Emiya."

"Where are you from?"

"A parallel world with a place called Fuyuki City, Japan."

Hope blinked as the orb remained blue. Did she mishear?

"How did you get here?"

"A friend of mine, Luviagelita Edelfelt, sent me through a dimensional portal into your world. I don't know why."

"Why did you kiss me?"

Shirou's eyes widened. "Because I… was seduced by your charm. It was a one-time lapse in judgment. It won't happen again."

The orb flashed a horrifically bright red. Shirou's mouth twisted as if he bit into something extremely sour. Hope closed the distance with a wry smile as his mind raced. The sphere fell to the ground, forgotten when she pulled him into a kiss. Once more, waves of lost emotion overwhelmed him and froze his mind. Flashes of a life he once had came and went like sands through an hourglass. Hope slowly pulled away, her eyes mirthful at how he had to lean over just to kiss her properly due to the height difference. Their faces were still mere inches from each other.

_"Why did you kiss me?"_ She repeated her voice barely a whisper.

"Because I… love you." Shirou closed his eyes and pressed forward onto Hope's lips, rolling with another tidal wave of memories that receded as soon as they came. Hope moaned into his mouth as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The orb, long forgotten, still glowed a hot red.

From his hiding place, Landon's back slipped slowly down a tree trunk. He slumped to the floor, his body and heart numb from the pain and wept silently.

* * *

"You need to leave," Dr. Saltzman declared, dropping a file containing Shirou's false identity onto his desk. Hope was furious while Dorian and Emma were of no opinion. "As per our arrangement, Landon needs to leave as well. You won't be able to protect him if you aren't here."

"Ric!" Hope snarled, "Is this about Josie? He helped _SAVE_ her!" She reminded, outraged.

"I am well aware, but Penelope brought up a good point, we hardly know anything about you, Shirou Emiya. I can't have you this close to my daughters unless you are willing to reveal the truth."

Shirou nodded. "Pull out one of those orbs."

Dr. Saltzman was surprised by Shirou's earnest submission and did so.

"Ask what you want," Shirou prompted, his voice resigned.

"What is your name?"

"Shirou Emiya."

"And where are you from?"

Hope looked horrified. "Wait! Shirou don't-"

"I am from a parallel world, very distant from this one. I was sent here by a friend but I don't remember why."

The orb flashed blue but Alaric had long stopped believing in its authenticity. He _snarled_ and threw it at Shirou's face. It shattered across his forehead and left a large trail of blood. But his eyes never faltered nor did he flinch. The enraged display surprised the rest of the crew so much that they couldn't even comment. The only sound in the room was the gentle drip of blood against the floor.

"Get the fuck out of my office and out of this school."

Shirou lowered his head into a bow. "Thank you for housing me all this time, Dr. Saltzman." He took the file with his false identity, ID cards, and passports. Without another word to anyone else save for a regretful glance at Hope, Shirou left to pack his bags.

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis again with a mini-update to close out the arc. This was what I was afraid of when I split this into four different pieces - a break in pacing. I should have just included this fallout chapter in the same one as Lady in Red pt1, TBH. In the future, I'm going to have to go back and recombine and recut some of this arc to make it more chapter-efficient.

Paolotejadaj brings up a concern about the age gap: It's okay. Hope is very open-minded. Her first ex-boyfriend was a 93-year-old vampire that killed her mother, after all.


	9. Chapter 9: Lady in Red pt2

Shirou Emiya was a frugal man by choice and necessity. Even in this original world, he lived out of a single duffle bag. In less than five minutes, the meager amount of possessions he had in this new world were packed, his dorm room was cleaned, and he was ready to leave. He spared one final glance at the room he spent the last month in and left it without incident. Morning classes already started, so the school's hallways were predictably empty.

Landon was halfway done with his own suitcase when Shirou knocked on the door. Rafael was helping him pack. They worked in solemn silence.

"It's open, Shirou," he called out not bothering to greet him at the door.

"Are you almost ready?" Shirou asked, pushing the door open but standing in the doorway. He wasn't invited in, after all.

"Yeah. I'm good," Landon eventually answered, zipping his suitcase shut and pulling the drag handle up. He and Rafael shared a hug. They had already said their goodbyes in private. Rafael wanted to go with him, but Landon firmly denied it. This school was where Rafael belonged. Landon couldn't call himself his brother if he were to drag him away. They'd also talked about Hope and how Rafael was the one to convince her to make her move on Shirou. That stung more than Landon first realized, but he knew Rafael was only trying to help him. Neither of them predicted Shirou would be the one harboring stronger feelings.

Rafael came up to Shirou and offered him a distant handshake. It was polite but the werewolf's expression was cold. Shirou took it in stride.

"You take good care of him, Shirou," Rafael half-told, half-ordered.

"Of course. I'll do all in my power to keep him safe."

Rafael eyed him up and down. Shirou wasn't sure what Rafael was looking for or even if he found it, but he soon stepped past Shirou. "I'll walk you guys out, at least."

The trio walked along to the lobby in silence. Although Shirou was unphased, Landon and Rafael both wore grave expressions; as if they were both marching to their respective executions. It was very likely they would never see each other again after today. Life was fickle and cruel. As they rounded the corner, they paused at the sight of Hope standing in the doorway, her arms folded and looking none-too-pleased. She spared Landon and Rafael the briefest of glances before her gaze honed in on Shirou, who closed his own eyes in resignation.

"Can you two give us a minute?" Shirou asked.

"C' mon, Landon," Rafael prodded guiding his friend around the pair and out the door where Mr. Williams waited with one of the vans.

Hope closed the distance as soon as they were alone and pulled Shirou into a tight hug. As if unsure what to do, he lightly returned the embrace after dropping his bag.

"This is my fault. I should have told Ric off-" She began but Shirou put a finger to her lips to silence her.

"No. Hope Mikaelson, you did nothing wrong. Dr. Saltzman is just worried about his daughter's safety. And yours. He isn't entirely wrong either. I am dangerous and he cannot fully trust me. As far as he knows, I may be another demon-possessed sleeper agent waiting to hurt those he cares about. I have no grudge against his decision. I'm honestly surprised he let me stay this long under such circumstances."

"Too bad I'm not as passive as you," Hope quipped, her ear rested against his chest and she used her superhuman hear to listen to each steady heartbeat. "I'll talk to Ric after all this blows over. Maybe he'll reconsider and let you back in." Her unspoken question lingered in the air around them. _Would Shirou come back?_

Hope pulled back to draw out a small leather bracelet with a blue gem in it. "I made this for you. All you have to do is press this button if you are in trouble and I'll know." She took his wrist and clasped the bracelet around it before he could politely refuse.

"I'll come back, even if Dr. Saltzman doesn't allow it," Shirou finally answered with a small smile, clearing the heavy atmosphere. His smile twisted into a smirk. "Luckily, I'm skilled at infiltration."

Hope released a breath she held and pulled Shirou into a chaste kiss. _"I'll keep my window unlocked,"_ she whispered then after she burned the image of a blush coloring his dark skin into her mind, she stepped back.

Shirou joined Landon and Mr. Williams in the car a few moments later. Dorian eyed both of the young men. "Sorry, it had to end this way, guys. Hope wanted me to give you this, Landon." The boy's eyes lit up and he eagerly accepted a small letter.

"It's your ticket to finding your mother," Shirou explained before Landon could open it. He shot Shirou a look of utter confusion. "I asked her if she had any way of figuring out your origins. She knows someone in New Orleans that can help us find your birth parents. I have a hunch as to why the knife activated after you touched it, but I need confirmation, so we are going to start from the very beginning."

"So you are leaving because of me?" Landon asked, bewildered. He wasn't sure if Shirou was blindly kind or just incredibly stupid. Shirou was a Witch. He, Hope, and Rafael could call this place home. Landon was the only outsider.

"Partially," Shirou confirmed. "Dr. Saltzman really doesn't want me around. This was just a good opportunity for me to investigate further."

Mr. Williams nodded with Shirou's assessment. The young man was far more tactically sound than most men three times his age even if he missed the corresponding emotional development and sensitivity. Shirou's lack of empathy bordered on sociopathic and that was what Dr. Saltzman truly feared. Sometimes, talking to Shirou was like talking to a machine, not a person. And even after a month, Dr. Saltzman still couldn't tell what side that machine was actually on.

"Do you have any regrets?" Dorian asked, honestly curious as to what Shirou thought about the entire situation.

Shirou shook his head, staring out the car window as he caught sight of Hope looking down at them from her bedroom. "I have no regrets. This is my only path."

Shirou's scripted answer failed set Dorian at ease. His steely reply haunted Dorian long after he dropped the pair off at the train station.

* * *

The two days following the Necromancer's arrival at the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted were filled with pandemonium as the dead were inexplicably resurrected to mix with the living. Driven to sate her own personal desire to learn more about the circumstances surrounding her father's death, Hope bargained with the Necromancer, only to be left with more despair when the Necromancer revealed the truth and whisked away the knife under their distracted noses.

But the mayhem eventually died down as the deceased scattered like ashes where they stood. Whether or not the living managed to find peace was a different story. Midterms were right around the corner and last-minute cram sessions were in full swing. A semblance of normality settled back onto the school. Hope communicated with Shirou over sporadic phone calls and sometimes even Landon. There was clearly some tension between the trio, but Shirou was ever the pillar of support for them both. No matter what Landon said or did, Shirou would protect him - he promised. And Hope was quick to learn that Shirou Emiya was a man that lived and would likely die by his word.

Landon told them their meeting with Hope's contact went well and that they were heading to Kansas to find his mother and learn more about his origins. Maybe she'd know why the knife activated under his touch and with one seal retrieved by the Malivore's minions, it was paramount that they find the remaining two. They planned to meet up tomorrow and see how things played out.

"You know he's doing this for you, too," Landon said over the phone. He was face-timing Hope while Shirou was outside, running his patrols around their hotel. Landon had grown accustomed to Shirou's paranoia and he long since speculated that his companion was some sort of magical, special forces secret agent. "He told me about the Loophole. About how you might have to sacrifice yourself to stop the Malivore if all three seals are taken. Shirou will do everything in his power to keep that from happening."

Hope wore a guarded expression, but Landon could tell she was still peeved about her assumed destiny. "I know he's trying to save me from having to deal with the Malivore. How is he?"

"Shirou doesn't talk much. He's more of a listener. But you already knew that. He's still as good as ever, as far as I can tell."

Hope smiled in relief. Landon swallowed. "Hey, Hope. Would it have worked out between us?" He asked, unable to stop himself. The question caught her off-guard, but after a moment, it looked like she earnestly gave it some thought.

"I'm not sure. Maybe? I liked you, Landon. I still do. But I'm not _IN_ love with you. It's hard to explain. I'm sorry, it's not the answer you were looking for."

Landon sighed and shook his head. He put on a brave smile. "No. But it does clear the air a bit." Landon turned as their bedroom door swung open. Shirou stood as resolute as he always did but his posture slackened slightly at the sight of Hope on the phone.

"Am I interrupting?" Shirou asked.

"No, no," Hope quickly answered. The smile she suddenly wore was dazzling. It made Landon's heartache when he realized it wasn't meant for him.

Shirou came to stand next to Landon. The trio talked about nonsensical things for a few minutes more. Then Shirou asked about Hope and how she felt following the Necromancer's departure, but it was clear she wanted a more private venue for that conversation. A place that didn't include Landon.

Instead, Shirou turned his attention to Hope's school work and they quickly entered into a fierce competition about medieval history that Shirou ended up losing once it shifted into the magical history of the era. For some reason, Shirou excelled more with plain and mundane facts and in particular, the mythology surrounding weapons and armor. Hope seemed to intrinsically understand his strengths, so she guided their battles of wit and knowledge into a territory she was far more familiar with. She preened as Shirou's head hung lower and lower.

Other than the rare instance of cooking, these idyllic moments with Hope were some of the few times Shirou truly let his guard down. He expressed a range of emotions that Landon rarely ever saw over the last two days of constant interaction. It wasn't much, but it was noticeable enough. It was obvious Hope held no small measure of satisfaction that only she could draw out that much from his iron heart. It was quite the accomplishment - comparable to squeezing water out of a rock.

After Shirou was thoroughly crushed by Hope's superior performance in medieval Jeopardy, they said their goodbyes and he pocketed the phone. Dr. Saltzman would only allow so much time for Hope to use the school cell phone for 'personal business.'

"Man, for a bookworm, you sure do suck at testing, Shirou," Landon commented with a chuckle. Shirou continued to hold a smile and nodded ruefully.

"I was average at best in high school and Hope's pretty much the ideal student. As far as academia goes, we're worlds apart," he admitted with a shrug. Landon was floored. The great _Shirou Emiya_ was _average_ at something? "We should get some sleep. You've got a big day tomorrow," Shirou reminded.

Landon's face twisted into a grimace. "Maybe this is a bad idea. What if she doesn't remember me? What if she doesn't want me?"

"Regardless of the outcome, could you live with yourself if you turned away now? Ignore the supernatural world for a moment and ask yourself: would it be better to not know the truth or live in ignorant bliss?"

Landon seriously considered simply turning around and going back to his foster home. But after a few moments, he shook his head. "I'll do it. I need to know."

"Good man," Shirou placed a hand on Landon's shoulder and squeezed gently. "You'll be going in alone, though. I'll provide support from outside. I went out to scope out the house," Shirou explained before Landon could argue otherwise. "Whoever lives there is quite meticulous. Not magical, but skilled in a paramilitary sort of way. If I got too close, she'd notice my observation."

"Wait - so my mom is some kind of secret agent? Like you?"

Shirou shook his head. "Hopefully she's not like me. But she is good. There aren't any magical defenses around her house, so if something happens, just scream as loud as you can. I'll hear it."

"Why don't you just come with me? I'm not really equipped for dealing with Secret Agent: Mother."

"That would be too suspicious. She won't speak to you if you have a bodyguard. I guarantee it."

"Can you give me a knife or a weapon? I know you carry a gun around!"

"No. It's hard enough for trained personnel to properly conceal a holstered weapon. Against someone that knows what signs to look for, she'd see through you in a heartbeat."

"What if she just kills me?!"

Shirou shook his head. "She won't unless you give her a reason to. She's obviously hiding from something. A corpse would be too messy and could easily blow her cover if handled improperly. It doesn't look like she has the connections to discreetly dispose of a body and any traces a murder would leave behind. Landon, you need to trust me."

"No offense, Shirou, but the last time I trusted you, you lip-locked with Hope. Going after your friend's girl is one of the _worst_ taboos among guys." Landon still hadn't forgiven Shirou for that unspoken treachery between them. His feelings for Hope were no big secret to Rafael or Shirou, but Shirou went and crushed them into dust all the same. Landon wasn't sure which hurt more. Shirou's betrayal or Hope's rejection.

Shirou closed his eyes at that. "I am sorry for that."

Landon searched Shirou's eyes and was surprised to find genuine regret. He sighed. "So am I. Let's just do it your way."

Shirou nodded and stayed awake a little while longer after Landon fell asleep. He did not tell him the whole truth: that since they left the school they'd been followed. Shirou was tempted to confront their tailers outright, but this whole trip was Landon's chance at meeting his mother. He couldn't risk that - not after he ruined his chances with Hope. It was likely that if Shirou told Landon the truth, he'd abandon their endeavor out of fear, no matter how badly he wanted to see his mother.

Landon deserved a shot at happiness. Shirou would bend over backward to see he got it - even if it meant dealing with their tailers and his mother all at the same time.

* * *

Shirou watched Landon and Seylah meet from his vantage point, his sight and hearing Reinforced as best he could. He filtered out the background noise to hone in on the conversation the pair was having within Seylah's house. Landon had just finished explaining his entire life while Seylah was baking an apple pie.

_'Too much sugar,'_ Shirou clinically noted when movement toward the back of the house caught his eye. He wasn't sure what the creature was, but it was clearly not human by how it contorted with each move and recoiled from the light. A few moments of observation led Shirou to deduce it was waiting for a cloud's shadow to pass overhead. With a surge of Prana, his bow materialized along with a single arrow. He'd have to take care of it before it could leave his field of fire. While Shirou was skilled at curving his shots, he couldn't alter them at nearly 90-degree angles like his future self yet. With a simple exhale, he released the arrow and it penetrated clean through what should have passed for the creature's head. It pitched forward and began to dissolve. He returned his attention to Landon and Seylah, only to discover the former was unconscious on the ground with Seylah nowhere to be found.

"Plan B, then," Shirou muttered and leaped off the rooftop. It took him a minute to cross the distance from his vantage point. He clambered up into the second story window, and combined Structural Grasping and Alteration to foil the simple latch and lock mechanism. He skulked his way down the stairs and spotted Landon tied to a chair with Seylah holding a heated clothing iron close to his face.

"Who do you work for?" Seylah pressed, the iron inching closer and closer to Landon's skin.

Shirou gripped her arm from behind, bringing it to a halt. Seylah turned around just in time to receive a blow to her neck. She stumbled for a moment then promptly collapsed onto the ground. Shirou caught the clothing iron before it could cause any unnecessary damage.

"What took you so damn long?!" Landon complained as Shirou ripped the restraints off his arms and legs with Reinforced strength.

"There was a monster outside," Shirou explained as Landon's face paled. "This place is compromised now. We need to leave." He searched the woman and found a pair of keys. She was already planning on abandoning this location. Unluckily for her, Shirou had dealt with his fair share of paramilitary operatives and Seylah was as by-the-book as one could get. Shirou found some zip ties then bound and gagged her to Landon's horror.

"Are we kidnapping her?!"

"More like tactically securing. She wouldn't want to stay, anyway," Shirou tossed him the car keys. "Get the car started. I'll catch up." Landon only nodded and left, numbed by a mix of the shock of being attacked by his own mother and the disappointment that came with it. He had the presence of mind to grab his bag before he found Seylah's car parked in the garage. It was one of two and was practically pristine. It was obviously her getaway car.

Shirou caught up, carrying a human-sized canvas bag, which he threw into the backseat. "Do you know how to drive?" Shirou asked.

"Not legally," Landon quipped, slipping into the passenger's seat. Shirou took the wheel and once the garage door was opened, they sped off onto the main highway.

"How do we know we aren't being followed?" Landon prodded, constantly looking over his shoulder and through the rear-view mirror.

"We aren't being followed anymore. I took care of our tailers while I was watching you talk to your mother. But we are being tracked," Shirou drew out his cell phone and with a burst of Prana, it shattered in his grip.

"Wait, if you knew that, why did you keep using the cell phone?!"

"I wanted to talk to Hope," Shirou said, surprising Landon with his straightforward reply. "Also, I wanted to lure in those following us by giving them a false sense of superiority."

"You couldn't just tell me about your grand master plan?! _Wait_ \- you used me as _bait!_"

"I hate to say it Landon, but you are a terrible liar. Keeping you in the dark was the best way for me to ensure they fell for it."

"All right, fine. So what do we do about… my mother?" Landon hesitated, unsure if the woman really was his mother or some elaborate trap.

"We interrogate her. I don't think she was expecting someone of my caliber to accompany you, so it worked out to our advantage. She'll be out for the next hour or so. We'll try to get as clear of this place as possible."

"Can't you just knock her out again?"

"Repeated trauma to the neck isn't healthy in the short or long-term, Landon. And overly concussing her would be detrimental if we want to get good, coherent answers out of her."

Landon swallowed at Shirou's cold and clinical tone. He wasn't sure what he thought about him, now. It was like Shirou could take a life and weigh it on a scale of cost and benefit. It wasn't something Landon was capable of doing - that no normal person could truly do. They eventually stopped at a seedy motel. The front desk clerk knew better than to ask questions and soon Seylah was strapped to a chair with Shirou seated in front of her and Landon watching over from the wall.

"You won't get a thing out of me," she snarled and spat into Shirou's face. He wiped it off with a face towel as if he'd expected it.

"You may not believe me, Miss Seylah Chelon, but I am not your enemy. In fact, I am Landon's guardian. He was telling the truth. He is your son - or at least he thinks he is. All signs point to you, mystical and otherwise. We just want to know what you know about Malivore."

Seylah's eyes widened. "How do you know about Malivore?"

"Landon is involved somehow and we are trying to figure out why before he gets hurt. Monsters have been attacking him recently. I don't know how long I can keep protecting him, so I'm begging you, tell us what you know."

Seylah observed Shirou for a moment then shook her head. "You're good, kid. _Really good._ Tactically, I'm no match for you. But you're way too sentimental. Honest. Straightforward. And worst of all, you are _morally inclined_. Untie me and I'll tell you what you want to know."

Shirou weighed his options. He'd already stripped her of any tools he could find. A quick use of Structural Grasp told him she had nothing left but the clothes on her back, so she was of no threat even if she were to attack. As a show of strength, Shirou ripped the restraints off with his bare hands. Seylah raised a brow but said nothing.

"Please, Miss Chelon," Shirou beckoned. Landon came over to join in. He wore a look of desperation that moved Seylah's heart in a way she had long since forgotten. The woman hung her head and wore a wry smile. The two males listened as she told them all about her past, Triad Industries, and the strange circumstances of Landon's birth. The young man seemed to grow more and more depressed as the conversation continued.

"So Landon activated the knife because he is of the Malivore's blood," Shirou concluded out loud. Landon's eyes were soberly closed.

"You're taking this way too easily," Seylah noticed, her eyes narrowed. "Did you already know?"

Shirou shot Landon an apologetic look. Landon just wore an expression of disbelief. "I had my assumptions after I analyzed the knife. I wanted to make sure before I told you, though."

"You knew… _this whole time_?!" Landon angrily accused, coming to a stand to square off against Shirou.

"Landon, I didn't want to needlessly cause you pain or draw Dr. Saltzman's suspicion onto you, so I-"

"It's all lies and half-truths with you, Shirou! Why couldn't you just tell me?!"

"I wanted to protect-"

"_Bullshit!_ I didn't need protection! I needed the truth!" He roared and slugged Shirou across the face. The Faker didn't put up any defense and simply rocked on his heels. Landon pivoted his foot and unleashed a straight cross with his other hand. It slammed into Shirou's skull, forcing him to take a step back.

"Landon! Stop! I don't want to-"

"First you took Rafael away. Then Hope. And now you tell me my father's a monster that eats other monsters?! What else are you hiding from me, Shirou?!"

Seylah took the opportunity and slammed her foot into Landon's back, shoving him into Shirou and bolting for the door. By the time Shirou could calm Landon down from his grief, Seylah was long gone.

"You're going back to the school," Shirou finally broke the silence between them after he'd washed off some of the blood from his broken nose. "I'm going after Triad Industries to end this."

"Are you kidding me?! Why?!"

"You'd only get in the way at this point Landon. Besides, _Archers excel at Independent Action_," Shirou ruefully chuckled at his own joke.

"What does that even mean?! Shirou, don't think I won't break your nose a second time! If you go alone, Hope will never forgive you. She'll never forgive me!"

"I know. But if her hatred will save your life, I'll have her hate me for all eternity. It's a small price to pay," the contented smile Shirou wore stunned Landon. "I know you'll take good care of her if it all goes south," Shirou reached into his pocket and pulled out an audio recorder and the tracking bracelet Hope made for him. "If it all goes wrong, our entire conversation with Seylah was recorded here. Give it to Dr. Saltzman when you get back. When you wake up, press the button on this talisman. Hope will come running."

"You don't get to decide all this on your own! You don't get to play the martyr!" Landon knocked aside the two trinkets and gripped Shirou by the shoulders. "What gives you the right? _This is my fight too_-"

Shirou slammed a knife-hand into Landon's throat mid-sentence. He staggered back, gasping for air before he finally collapsed into unconsciousness. Shirou made sure to put the audio recorder and Hope's talisman in his pockets before he left the motel.

Thanks to Seylah's revelation, Triad Industries was relatively easy to find. The only real issue was getting there. Shirou regretted committing grand theft auto, but the sooner he could bring an end to this chaos the sooner Landon and Hope could live their lives in peace. The gate to the grounds was relatively unguarded save for a minefield around the perimeter. What surprised him most was Seylah's unattended vehicle parked off near the main gate and a trio of guards shot dead.

_'Seylah's here?'_ He pondered as he began to activate his Magic Circuits. He was running a bit low from all the minor spells he cast, so he kicked his circuits into overdrive to force them into generating more Prana. He ignored the pain that came from overheating his body and pressed on, following Seylah's trail of bloodshed. An expert operative like her hadn't cared about stealth or collateral damage, so that meant she was intent on either accomplishing her mission or dying in the attempt. Shirou hastened his pace. The trail was fresh now; some of the guards were still groaning as their lives expired.

As he rounded the corner into a large warehouse-like structure, spotlights honed in on him. He had to shut one eye to prevent full blindness.

"You're late, _Emiya-kun,"_ Came a painfully familiar voice that pulled on his heartstrings and nearly brought tears to his eyes.

_Rin Tohsaka_ stepped out into the light, flanked by Triad's armed guards. One of them held Seylah at gunpoint.

"I… know you," he managed, his breath quickening.

Rin nodded. "Yes, you _did._ Your memories of me should have been erased the moment you phased into this universe. This so _cruel_. After I waited and waited for _so long_ in that black pit believing you'd save me, but now that you're finally here, you barely even recognize me! I was trapped there for over _50 years_, but once that knife was activated, the Malivore spit me out. You can imagine my anger at being controlled by a damn golem of all things."

The guards inched closer to apprehend Shirou, but Rin disliked the audience ruining a reunion decades in the making, so with a snap of her fingers, the guards surrounding them fell like puppets with their strings cut.

"But you can free me _now_, Shirou. All you have to do is Trace _Rulebreaker_ and I'll no longer be controlled by the Malivore! I spent the last half-century in that black hell honing my skills with Second Magic and perfecting the magical arrays I need to send us back home."

"All I need now is a power source strong enough to power the spell, but I've figured that out too! If we throw the Loophole into Malivore, the subsequent magical reaction can act as a catalyst to send us back! The blood of a Vampire, Witch, and Werewolf is bound to be a potent enough sacrifice to fuel the spell."

Shirou was reeling. His mind was breaking at the mere sight of Rin Tohsaka. He was nearly comatose. Years of memories flooded his brain and stunned him into silence, but at the notion of sacrificing Hope to activate the Second Magic, Shirou pushed through the haze.

"I came here to prevent that from happening," Shirou finally announced, pulling himself to stand firm. His hands curled as if to grip invisible swords. Rin wore a complicated look then a nostalgic smile graced her face as if she were recalling a long forgotten memory.

"That's so like you, Shirou. But you can't save everybody and I _refuse_ to be trapped in this backwater world any longer. I've wasted too much time in that damn pit and the title of _Magician of the Second Magic_ is mine to claim, not Edelfelt's. I know you've forgotten me, but I am the rightful _Heiress to the Tohsaka lineage of Magi_ first and your lover second. All you have to do is use Rulebreaker on me and let me handle the rest. If you don't, I'll vivisect you for your Reality Marble and take it out myself. But I'll be careful to leave you alive afterward; after all these years I still remember the ins and outs of your soul, even if you don't remember mine."

She raised an arm as a dozen large gems began to float all around her. Complex magic circles spawned with the jewels as their epicenters. They began to rotate and cackle with eldritch power.

"How do you reply, _Emiya-kun?_" Rin needlessly asked. She already knew his answer, but she wanted to give him the opportunity to surrender out of respect for the love they shared before. The boy she fell in love with would never accept such an outcome, even if it were the only way they could return home. Shirou Emiya would rather be trapped in this world than sacrifice the life of an innocent girl so Rin Tohsaka could pursue the Path of a Magus.

_"Trace, on!"_

**Author's Notes:**

And Rin is revealed! To those asking, yes, after being trapped in eternal darkness for 50 years, she has fully embraced the Path of the Magus.

Time to answer some questions!

Kayen1024 asks why Alaric kicked Shirou out. Mainly because Alaric cannot fully trust Shirou. And with his daughters coming into greater risk, he isn't willing to take a bet on an enigmatic person like Shirou is.


	10. Chapter 10: Rescue and Retreat

"And where do you think you're going with my keys and without telling me?" Dr. Saltzman prodded as he rounded the corner in his sleeping robe and slippers. Hope froze like a deer in headlights. Slowly, she retracted her hand from the doorknob and turned to face him inch by inch. Her mind raced to try and come up with an excuse. But by the time she was square with Alaric, she had come up with absolutely nothing to say.

"Uhh, I know we've argued a lot lately, so I wanted to get you an oil change as a peace offering," she tried, wearing one of the fakest smiles Alaric had ever seen. He was far from impressed and his stone cold expression failed to flinch in the slightest.

"Really, Hope? An _oil change_? At 3 AM in the morning?" His tone was laced with sarcasm.

"Uh-"

"Hope. You don't have a driver's license. You are about to steal my car. And midterms are _next week_." As Alaric continued on, Hope deflated more and more. All she could do was pull up one sleeve to reveal a leather bracelet with a glowing blue gem at the center.

"If this thing is glowing, it means Shirou is in trouble. I'm leaving."

Dr. Saltzman swallowed his retort. "I'm going with you. And before you ask, no, you are _NOT_ driving." Hope blinked in surprise. Dr. Saltzman was the one who kicked Shirou and Landon out in the first place. While Alaric's initial anger abated in the last two days, he gave no indication that he'd reconsider his decision. Hope was going to wait at least a week before bringing up the idea.

"You aren't going to quiz me the whole way are you?" Hope's eyes narrowed. There was always a catch - he taught her that much at least. Dr. Saltzman's answer was an evil smile that Hope withered under. Shirou and Landon were in Kansas the last time they spoke over the phone. It was going to be a very long and grueling 18-hour road trip.

* * *

Shirou Emiya instantly realized that he was dealing with someone who knew him intimately. It was clear they shared a deep bond just from her words and tone. Whenever he looked directly at her, the vestiges of love and loss would wash over him and threaten to shut him down entirely.

The Heiress to the Tohsaka Lineage of Magi was someone who held a profound part of Shirou Emiya's heart. A part of him wanted to run into her arms and hug her for the rest of his life. It was plain-to-see that the Malivore was responsible for his immense gap in memory. A certain Azoth Dagger clued him in and filled some of the holes in his mind, but it was still woefully incomplete. It didn't seem as those this woman used her Azoth Dagger that much even though she was its original owner. To her, it was just a decorative piece to line her workshop. At least Shirou managed to get the woman's name: _Rin Tohsaka_.

He wanted to learn more but unfortunately, the woman was currently trying to blow his legs off with blasts of highly concentrated Prana lasers.

Each one of her attacks would be enough to easily penetrate Shirou's Reinforced body. Rin Tohsaka did not spend 50 years trapped within Malivore curled in the fetal position doing absolutely nothing. She had over two dozen high-quality gems stored on her person when she was first thrown into the pit and she had super-charged all of them while within it. She was several magnitudes stronger than she was during the Grail War.

When the battle started, Shirou Traced twelve Black Keys. He wielded three in each hand and the remaining six danced around him in a protective orbit. After Tohsaka's fourth barrage of lasers, he only had two remaining and one of them was half-melted. The worst part of it was Shirou had yet to close the gap between them.

Tohsaka knew his fighting style. She was predicting his every move. The only saving grace was she wasn't aiming for instantly lethal attacks. She really wanted him alive so she could obtain Rulebreaker. Shirou was half-tempted to just give it to her, but he had a feeling that once this woman was totally free of the Malivore's influence, she'd become far more formidable and dangerous to his friends. He couldn't risk giving this woman what she wanted - not when she was so cavalier about sacrificing Hope.

"You never cease to amaze, Shirou," Rin complimented, her voice earnest. "You're tired, low on Prana, and Nature despises your Traces. I am well rested, I have a dozen fully charged gemstones, and I have a deep understanding of all your habits and tendencies. By all accounts, I_ should have_ blown off at least one your legs by now. But here you are, fighting on. I remember what Lancer said to Archer during the Grail War, but he was dead wrong. You really _ARE_ worthy of being a Hero, Shirou."

Shirou took a desperate breath and didn't interrupt her. He needed every second he could get to forcefully generate Prana. His Magic Circuits were on metaphorical fire and steam visibly exuded from his body. At this rate, if he wasn't killed by all these Prana blasts, he was going to die from spontaneous combustion when his body's fatty acids caught fire.

Rin wore a teasing smile as if she were remembering a pleasant memory by watching him desperately refill his dwindling magical energy. When Shirou looked upon her expression, angry static filled his vision. He'd seen that smile so many times before, but where?! His Reality Marble no longer provided any other insight aside from the Azoth Dagger that belonged to her. Apparently, Rin Tohsaka did not use or even value the dagger as more than a ceremonial piece. The number of times she even touched it with her hands could be counted on all ten fingers.

"Shall we continue?" She asked rhetorically. Then Shirou was madly dodging again. He considered tracing Kanshou and Byakuya - even with his Tracing crippled, they'd last long enough for him to get close and properly engage the Heiress - but he'd be totally drained afterward. At the rate he was burning through energy, the talisman Josie charged would only last a few more minutes at most. Once his Reinforcement ran out, he'd truly be out of options.

Worst of it all, Seylah Chelon was still unconscious at the Heiress' feet. She'd easily get caught up in the exchange if Shirou were to try melee combat. Her frail human body would be torn to shreds by just remaining in the proximity of such a high-level battle. Using his bow or shooting swords was even worse. If the Heiress could deflect his ranged attacks and one of them hit Seylah, she'd be blasted into pieces. How could he face Landon if he inadvertently killed his biological mother?

Shirou had to pick: close combat or rescue the hostage. The answer was obvious.

_"I am the bone of my sword,"_ Shirou incanted. Rin's aloof expression suddenly grew much sharper. She took a step back adopted a Chinese fighting stance remanence of Bajiquan in preparation for a full-frontal assault. The Heiress exhaled a long stream of air as she Reinforced her body to a level comparable to his own and even superior in some ways.

'Is she a genius?!' Shirou inwardly complained. The Heiress could produce rapid-fire, Single-Action, long-range magecraft attacks rounded out with high-level Reinforcement and unarmed combat expertise. It was like he was fighting a ranged version of Bazett Fraga McRemitz!

Of all the enemies he hated, unarmed combatants were the worst. Shirou couldn't instantly analyze all their strengths and weaknesses through a weapon, so he had to learn first hand. Eye of the Mind _(True)_ did not function to its full potential until a certain amount of information was obtained. Under normal circumstances, Shirou could bypass this problem by reading the full combat histories of his enemy's primary weapons, but unarmed combatants did not have one save for their fists so there was nothing to glean insight from.

Luckily, he had no intention of engaging her at all. He threw his two remaining Black Keys to intercept a Prana blast that would have ripped off his right leg then reached out with his left hand to grip the hilt of a dagger in mid-Trace.

_"Carnwennan!"_

The moment he called out the Noble Phantasm's true name, his vision was drowned in darkness. Carnwennan was a Noble Phantasm from Arthurian legends. It was among the weapons bestowed upon Arturia along with Excalibur and Rhongomiant and served to encase her in a shadow-dimension akin to a parallel world so she could traverse unheeded through enemy territory.

The problem was this Noble Phantasm had an effect similar to dimensional shifting and would take an absurd amount of Prana to use. Just Tracing it exacted an immense toll and drained Shirou down to nearly nothing. He had to use Josie's gem to actually activate it and most of the energy within was now gone.

To the outside world, he literally vanished without a trace. Within this shadow-dimension, time moved at a quarter of the pace and was entirely black. No magecraft he knew of could pierce this place of infinite darkness. Arturia could use it simply because her Instinct Personal Skill would guide her even if her sight was completely compromised. Shirou could fake it by relying on the Eye of the Mind _(True)_ to memorize the entire area within his field of vision.

But he couldn't remain within this shadow-dimension for very long. It was akin to deploying an alternate world of shadows; like when he used his own Reality Marble, so the Prana requirements to maintain it was also absolutely obscene. Right now, he had about three seconds before he returned to normal reality.

He bobbed and weaved around where he recalled the last few Prana blasts were aimed then ran to where he remembered Seylah lay and prepared to pick her up. In order to interact with the outside world, he'd have to deactivate the Noble Phantasm.

Carnwennan shattered and instantly brought him back into normal reality. To Rin, Shirou had disappeared from her sight, but she recalled what Carnwennan was capable of and leaped back, switching to complete defense.

She knew while within the Carnwennan's pseudo-Reality Marble, time moved at a quarter-speed, meaning Shirou was 75% faster than he normally would be. Though she could still hit him with some of her wide-area-of-effect spells because it wasn't a complete dimensional shift, melee combat was an impossibility. At the speeds he was moving at, Shirou could appear out of nowhere and slit her throat with contemptuous ease. Moreover, Carnwennan showed it's true strength when used against mages thanks to the legend of Arturia stealthily killing the Black Hag. All of her spells would be reduced by a full Rank even if they did manage to hit him.

Instead of waiting for him to reappear, she abandoned her position and instantly leaped back as fast and as far as she could. The Prana cost to Trace, activate, and maintain Carnwennan's shadow-dimension were already extraordinarily high in their original world. Here, it would be at least doubled, maybe even tripled if Nature was feeling particularly fickle. If Rin could evade and outlast his Prana supply, Shirou would be forced to return to normal spatial reality completely drained of power. At best, he'd only be able to travel a few meters before he exhausted all of his energy.

While she retreated, she created a barrier around her body as fast as she could and prepared to blast Shirou with a Gandr the moment he came out to attack her. She was so focused on defending against any instantly fatal attacks that she failed to notice Seylah was still lying unconscious on the field.

When Shirou phased back into the world, picked Seylah up, and bolted for the exit, Rin cursed her stupidity. Of course, _Shirou Emiya_ would try to save someone else even as his own death loomed ominously overhead. A storm of jewel-powered Prana blasts ripped through the air toward him. Rin didn't care about Seylah's life and if Shirou was trying to defend her, he'd only cripple himself. Even while carrying Seylah, Shirou dodged all of her attacks save a single one, which blasted a hole clean through his left kidney.

Out of reflex, he used the last vestiges of his Prana to Reinforce the broken and charred parts of his body near the gaping hole in his torso. Swords from his Reality Marble also began to fill in the bloody gap. He heard the Heiress scream his name as he withdrew from the warehouse.

Triad's alarms were already blaring and a few surviving guards were positioned by the exits, ready to engage. But his body was already fully Reinforced, so he managed to evade the hailstorm of bullets through a mix of dexterity and projectile prediction. To normal humans, it was as if he were teleporting in and out of existence. Their natural kinetic vision simply couldn't keep up with his movement speed. Even video cameras built to capture objects traveling at supersonic speeds would have difficulty recording him properly.

"_Holy shit!_ He dodged all those bullets?!" Exclaimed someone in the front of the formation. By the time the soldier finished his sentence, Shirou had charged past their defensive line and broke through Triad's main doors. The sheer change in air pressure as Shirou ran past them blasted the guards aside like tumbleweeds caught in a sandstorm.

* * *

Rin sat in a comfy chair in her own personal laboratory funded by Triad Industries. She was surrounded by a variety of dissected mythical creatures and a few partially complete Mystic Codes made out of refined parts of their bodies. She even manufactured some high-quality familiars. She also had a few spare hearts stored in vats of liquid just in case Shirou had Traced Gae Bolg.

Although Rin had only been released from Malivore 36 hours prior, Triad Industries' upper echelon, Veronica Greasley in particular, had been quite accommodating. Rin was provided a workshop and access to all of Triad Industries' information network. Like the Necromancer, Rin was one of the rare cases of high-end thought spit out by the Malivore. But after losing the Necromancer, Veronica was willing to make certain concessions to maximize Rin's effectiveness, unsure when or if the Malivore would provide another resource like Tohsaka.

"Tsk, _of course_, he got away," Tohsaka clicked her tongue as she watched a video of Shirou speeding past the gates. "E-Rank Luck isn't as bad as he always said it was."

"He's a true _monster,_ just like you said. No wonder all of our assets failed to obtain the relics," Ryan Clarke said from over Rin's shoulder. The short-haired blonde male wore a smug smile that Tohsaka was oh-so-tempted to rip off and reattach upside down.

Unfortunately, because he was one of the Malivore's offspring, Rin was forced to tolerate him - to a certain extent. She wouldn't allow him to trample over her pride. The Necromancer proved that an amount of deviation and independence from the Malivore's influence was given to those it spit out to do its bidding, so long as its servants worked toward completing their objectives. Rin would find as many loopholes as she could in its control to exercise as much autonomy as possible.

"Shirou Emiya is no mere monster. He is a _Hero_. If you make that mistake again, he will crush you like an ant. He's running on fumes, though. He won't make it out of the town. Deploy a retrieval squad. But we need him alive. That's our deal, Clarke," Rin reminded with a scowl.

"Oh yes, so we can find the mystical dagger that can break my father's hold on us? At first, I thought you were lying through your pretty little teeth, but after that glorious display, I'm more inclined to believe you now." Ryan reached out to caress her cheek but the moment he got within a millimeter of touching her flesh, he recoiled in pain as his skin started to boil angrily and flake off.

"Try touching me again and not even the Malivore's influence will keep me from flaying you alive, inside-out, and layer-by-layer you _disgusting little mud-puppet_."

"I apologize for overstepping, Lady Tohsaka," Ryan bowed low. "I'll lead the retrieval teams myself."

"Hoho? Serve me well and _maybe_ I'll turn you into a real boy, Ryan Clarke, _forgotten_ son of Malivore," Tohsaka taunted, quietly laughing as Ryan walked away, seething under his indifferent smile. Her laughter echoed infuriatingly throughout his mind. He'd get his revenge and put the Witch in her place once he was finally free.

Rin ran a finger down the frozen image of Shirou dodging his way through a hallway filled with armed guards. She played the recording back and forth, savoring each one of his expressions. Her cold and clinical expression melted into a childish, infatuated smile akin to what a girl falling in love would wear. It had been so long since she last saw him - 50 years for her, but it looked like he hadn't aged a day since they last met. He must have chased after her as soon as she was accidentally sucked into her own experiment. If only he'd submitted and helped her fulfill her desire, they could be embracing each other right now.

"You're _mine_, Shirou. I've claimed your Heart, Mind, Body, Soul, and your Future. Even if you barely remember me."

* * *

"This is it," Alaric announced as he parked and exited his car in the parking lot of a seedy hotel. They'd driven hard for 18 hours and with no breaks save gas and food. Unlike Hope, he was extremely fatigued. "Are you sure he's here?"

Hope nodded, staring at her talisman. "Up there, the third floor," she pointed to the corresponding room. "One of the best vantage points in the hotel," she instantly realized. Shirou would have definitely picked that spot as his base of operations. They made their way quietly up the stairs without alerting the hotel manager. Luckily, this place didn't use keycards, so it meant they could lockpick their way into the room.

Alaric pressed a finger to his lips to keep Hope quiet as he led them down the 3rd story hallway toward the door. With skills developed over a lifetime, he expertly undid the lock and slowly opened the door. What greeted his vision was an upturned table facing the door with Landon taking cover behind it. The teen trained Shirou's 9mm at Alaric's chest.

"Landon? Landon! Put the gun down, please!" Alaric pleaded. The shock faded from Landon's face and he stood up from behind his makeshift cover.

"Dr. Saltzman?!" He cried out in relief. Hope marched in afterward, her face stern. "Hope!" Landon jumped forward and drew her into a hug, which she gladly returned. She pulled away and looked around, her expression twisting into one of icy apprehension.

"Landon," her voice was dangerously calm, like the eye before a storm. "Where is Shirou?"

Landon swallowed and shook his head. "He went to destroy Malivore... by himself."

"What?!" Hope snarled, infuriated by Shirou's carelessness and Landon's weakness.

"I'm so sorry! He knocked me out when I tried to stop him!" Landon explained then pulled out the audio recording and Hope's talisman. Her face paled when she realized Shirou had left the tracking talisman with Landon. "I'll explain in the car, but we have to catch up to him. He went to a place called Triad Industries. It's in Georgia."

"Jesus, that's over 10 hours away," Alaric said, eyes wide. It was obvious that if something went wrong with Shirou's assault, he would likely be long dead before they even got there. Hope was the first one back in the car, her body a superhuman blur. They drove off quickly. The only saving grace was that the highways were clear of traffic this late at night.

"Why didn't you call?!" Hope accused, craning her head toward Landon in the backseat. She needed to vent.

"Shirou said his phone was being traced, so he destroyed it. The recording told me to just wait in the room until you got here."

"It didn't occur to you to use a _payphone_ or something?!"

"Hope, lighten up. It's not his fault," Alaric demanded with a gentle sigh. Hope rounded on him in an instant, her anger and frustration peaking. "He was just following Shirou's instructions. Besides, if you need someone to blame, _blame me_. I'm the reason he left the school."

Hope slunk back into her seat, her emotions burning like cold fire. Why did every life that touched hers wither and die? Was she going to lose someone she cared about, again? Would life be so cruel as to take Shirou away from her just after they started to open up to each other? Would she be doomed to be alone for the rest of her life? Was her only role to be Nature's sacrificial tool to destroy the Malivore?

Those these questions remained unanswered, she knew the answer to one: if Shirou Emiya really was killed by Triad, Hope Mikaelson swore they would pay with their lives.

**Author's Notes:**

Tyonis with another update! In case it wasn't obvious by now, this is totally a love-tragedy in the making. Multiple people are bringing up pacing issues, and I think that has a lot to do with my overly varied chapter lengths. I'll try to establish some measure of consistency. I'm thinking 3,000-4,000 words per chapter will help the pacing. It'll slow down my release rate, but we'll see how it plays out.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story. I honestly did not think that my first fanfiction would become as successful as it is now. Thank you so much for your time and your words.

Time to answer some questions:

Suzululu4moe asks why Rin needs a sacrifice to activate the Second Magic. In this story, Rin doesn't have the Jeweled Sword or the Kaleidosticks. If she did, she could just blast her way out of Malivore. Simply put, Rin has no way to activate a dimensional transfer powerful enough to send her back to her original world without spending a stupidly long period of time studying this world's magical theory and possibly submitting herself to the whims of Nature and the Laws of Balance.

To summarize a long explanation: Witches gain their power because they are servants of Nature and anything that breaks Nature's whims is punished. In some cases, Nature would strip them of all their magical powers if they do something Nature really doesn't like. She can't risk Nature's retribution if it doesn't approve of the Second Magic for one reason or another.

The whims of Nature are horrifically inconsistent in the series, FYI. It's like trying to deal with a fickle Fae Queen than a mindless source of power like Gaia or Alaya from the Nasuverse. Rin does NOT want to have to enter into a "bargain" with something that inconsistent if she can just sacrifice Hope and be done with it instead. If Rin Tohsaka wasn't willing to trust the Holy Grail, she is for damn sure not willing to stake her entire magical heritage on Nature.

Rin believes that the magical energy released when using Hope's life to kill a super-powered Malivore right as all three seals are broken will have enough power one instance of the Second Magic. It's like using a nuclear explosion to power a spell. The best part is that said explosion was a Loophole created by Nature itself to neutralize the Malivore, so Rin thinks she will be safe from the ramifications of screwing with spatial and temporal reality by "piggy-backing" on it.

Requirecross asks if Shirou still has Avalon. Yes, but it's powerless without Saber. At this point, it functions as a conceptual weapon impervious to time or damage like it did in Fate/Zero when Kiritsugu had it prior to Saber's summoning.

Requiremore asks if Shirou saw more Noble Phantasms during his time between F/UBW and F/L. Yes, he has.

Requirecross asks how magic in Legacies matches up with Noble Phantasms. For the most part, Noble Phantasms vastly overpower Legacies magicks in the short term. However Witches are stupidly OP compared to Nasuverse Magi if you just look at their potential as spellcasters not through combat. Their enchantments literally last forever. They can create spells that grant them immortality. They can even raise the dead with near 100% fidelity.


End file.
